Battle Against Illicit Drugs Requires United Front – CG Adeniyi
The battle against illicit drugs in the country requires a united front, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has said. He however, explained that communities play a pivotal role in the fight.
The Customs boss revealed this while handing over heaps of illicit drugs and dangerous substances to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Abuja, on Thursday.
The items were impounded by Customs operatives of the Federal Operations Units A, B, and C, together with the Ogun 1 Area Command and the Western Marine Command.
The seized items include: 13,567 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, totalling 7,461 Kg (from FOU Zone A); 1,511 parcels and 292 bags of Indian Hemp, 2,409 packets, and 8,700 unregistered sachets of Tramadol, along with 2,042 sealed nylons containing D5 Tablets (from FOU Zone B) and 3,213 Parcels/blocks and 935 sacks of Cannabis Sativa (from FOU Zone C).
Others are: 2,223 wraps and 144 sacks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 3,312.7 KG (from Ogun 1 Area Command) and 1,205 parcels of Cannabis Sativa weighing 624 kg and 109 packs by 6 pieces by 10 sachets of Tramadol (from the Western Marine Command).
“We urge communities to see themselves as key partners in the quest for a drug-free nation,” said Adeniyi. The Customs helmsman noted that ending drug trafficking is not a responsibility which law enforcement agencies alone can shoulder, without the collective support of citizens.
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He said: “By partnering with Customs and NDLEA, communities become the first line of defence against the menace of illicit drugs. Today, we emphasize the critical need for synergy between the Nigeria Customs Service and the NDLEA.
“Together, we form an unyielding front against drug traffickers and their nefarious activities. Our collaboration extends beyond this handover; it is a commitment to ongoing cooperation in intelligence sharing, joint operations, and policy alignment.
“The battle is not for Customs or NDLEA alone; it is a battle for a safer Nigeria, and we stand united. To the public, we assure you that those involved in this illicit trade will be brought to justice. We are actively tracking collaborators, and they will face the full wrath of the law.
“Nigerian laws regarding drug trafficking and abuse will be rigorously applied to ensure that justice is served, and the guilty parties are held accountable”.
The Director in charge of Operations and General Investigation at the NDLEA, Mr. Samuel Bashir Gadzama, who represented the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, at the event, disclosed that the exhibits handed over to them by the Customs will be destroyed within the next three weeks.
“We shall invite the Nigeria Customs to witness the destruction of the illicit drugs and substances we have just received. The NDLEA of today, under Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, is no longer the type we all use to know. It is entirely a new and different one,” he said.
