We recover 10 tons of drugs, prosecute 300 suspects yearly in Lagos – NDLEA

Joy Anyim

The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) boss for the Lagos State Command in Lagos Sule Aliyu, said that the agency recovers 10 tons of drug and prosecute 300 suspects yearly.

Aliyu who stated this on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja said the agency will keep rooting out major drug dealers and doing everything possible to rid the state of drug peddlers.

He said, “The purpose of this visit is to synergize with the police to fight the menace of drug abuse in the state.

“If you don’t come close to the NDLEA, you won’t know that 10 tons of drugs are recovered yearly and we prosecute 300 out of the 700 arrested yearly.

“When the trend of drug use is however not going down, we sit and discuss what to do. It is only when you root out the major dealers that you will have peace.

“I like this type of synergy and we are looking forward to a joint operation with the police to clean Lagos of drugs.”

The commandant also lamented the lack of man power to carry out key operations in notorious areas in the state.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Ag. CP Edgal Imohimi who hosted his NDLEA counterpart however said that the visit was the beginning of the synergy to fight drug proliferation as no agency can do it alone.

“During the 11 town hall meetings I have held, the community leaders kept complaint about the issue of drug abuse and I have also observed the relationship between drugs and crime.

“When people have access to drugs, it emboldens them to get involved in crime.

“Cultism is also a problem where men and teenagers are involved in cult related violence and narcotic substances are recovered from them and s enough to draw the attention of the police.

” So its in this regard that I decided to meet with you not only to identify major drug peddlers in the state but to gain from your agency’s experience.”

Similarly, while parading some suspects at the Command headquarters, CP Imohimi disclosed that one Babatunde Azeez suspected to be a cocaine dealer had been arrested.

The Lagos Police boss said, ” Operatives of the command acting on information from the members of public arrested one Babatunde Azeez, a suspected cocaine dealer at No. 6, Palm Church Street Lagos Island. Substances suspected to be cocaine was found in his possession, suspect confessed to the crime. Also recovered at Peti Lagos Island is a large cache of weed suspected to be Indian hemp.

“Both narcotic substances are stated to have been sent to the Lagos DNA Forensic Laboratory Centre for further investigation,” he said.