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Nigeria: Drug Barons Convert Govt Farms Into Indian Hemp Farms in Imo
All Africa Tuesday 01 Mar 2011 To the untutored minds, the illicit drug farmers are simply buying into the state government's Clean and Green Initiative. As if the foregoing was not bad enough, some barons went into the Imo Modern Poultry Complex, Avutu, Obowo local council area of the state and established a cannabis nursery farm. They believed that the premises would be the last place operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), would comb. They have since been proved wrong as operatives of the State Command of NDLEA got very reliable information on the existence of the cannabis nursery in the place and swiftly swung into action. Giving a graphic account of his Command's activities, the State NDLEA Commander, Dr. Wale Ige said: "We succeeded in destroying a nursery cannabis farm located inside an abandoned state government owned poultry farm in Obowo local council area. After uprooting the plants, the exhibit recovered weighed 13 kilogrammes". Continuing, Dr. Ige said that apart from this, the Command equally carried out series of operations within the past one year, arrested 109 suspects and recovered exhibits totaling 217.894 kilogrammes. Out of this number, 11 were women. Ninety three of the suspects were arrested with cannabis sativa weighing 219.172 kilogrammes. Eight persons were nabbed with cocaine and the exhibit seized weighed 71.5 grammes, while six persons were arrested with heroin weighing 40.4 grammes. Two suspects arrested with psychotropic substances and the exhibit weighed 211 grammes. Dr. Ige said: "A total of 25 persons were convicted during the past year, while 44 other cases are still pending at the Federal High Court, Owerri". The Command was also involved in drug demand reduction activities. In addition to various drug education, public enlightenment and sensitization activities, the Command's Drug Demand Reduction Unit handled a total of 72 persons of drug dependent persons. "This was made up of 64 males and eight females. Seventy of the cases handled were referred to the unit by the Operations Unit of the Command, while two cases were referred by relations for counseling and rehabilitation", Ige said. Another very disturbing aspect of the account was not only that majority of those apprehended by the Command for illicit drug dealing and usage are from Imo State but the age distribution of the counseled persons was most revealing. The youth were the most involved! "From the observed trend, those found to be involved in illicit drug dealing and usage and who were arrested, aged between 25-34 years were 44 persons, representing 40.37 percent of the total arrests for the period. The highest number of those counseled was also within the same age bracket of 25 and 34. They numbered 42, representing 58.33 percent", Ige said. In the considered opinion of the Imo NDLEA boss, "this exposure portends a great danger not just for Imo State but for the country at large", stressing that there was an urgent need for the trend to be effectively checked. According to the Commander, "for ease of coverage and effective reach of its operational activities, the State Command has, apart from the State Headquarters in Owerri, created and stationed its operatives in Okigwe, Orlu and Oguta area commands". He said his Command was experiencing some hardship in the river communities of the state, pointing out that "movement into and out of such was tough but we have remain undaunted, resolute and determined to carry the drug war to the dens of the illicit drug barons". On his projection for this year, Ige said his Command was strategizing and re-strategizing their operations, as well as re-engineering their modus operandi towards achieving greater results, adding that drug abuse and illicit trafficking are being combated on all fronts. "The Command is collaborating with all stakeholders and reaching out to concerned citizens in order to positively ensure that the drug scourge in the state is reduced to the barest minimum", Ige said. http://allafrica.com/stories/201103010643.html
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