32,402 drug users counselled, treated in 3 years nationwide- Marwa

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says nary less than 32,402 cause users person been counselled and treated from January 2021 to March 2024 crossed the country.

The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, said this erstwhile helium received the Executive Director, Vanguard Against Drug Abuse (VGADA) Detox Centre, Dr Hope Omeiza, and his squad connected Friday successful Abuja.

The News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the VGADA Detox Centre, a rehabilitation centre successful Abuja, is simply a starring supplier of addiction attraction and betterment services successful Nigeria.

The centre is holding a National Youth Conference connected June 28 successful commemoration of the World Drug Day celebrated globally each June 26, successful Abuja.

Marwa, who was represented by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, said that the bureau had besides secured 9,034 convictions with implicit 12,000 different cases going connected successful Court.

Marwa said: “There is nary denying the information that indeed, determination is simply a misconception astir the relation of the agency, particularly arsenic it concerns cause request reduction.

“I similar to enactment it connected grounds that so the bureau has 2 cardinal roles, that is, cause proviso simplification and cause request reduction.

“And erstwhile you look astatine what we person done successful the country of request reduction, I tin adjacent astir accidental it acold outweighs oregon surpasses what we person done successful cause proviso reduction.

“But due to the fact that the proviso simplification has to bash with arrest, seizures, prosecution of offenders and their convictions, sending them to jail, confiscation of their assets and different funds successful their slope relationship done tribunal order. So, rather a batch of radical judge that’s each we do.

“But indeed, beyond that, fto maine enactment it this way, possibly to beryllium precise wide this way, if you look astatine the past 3 years, the bureau has counselled and treated implicit 32,000 successful our facilities nationwide.”

He said that retired of the 32,000, the bureau secured 9,034 convictions with implicit 12,000 different cases going connected successful Court.

Marwa said that 1 of the things the bureau did successful cause request simplification was to rise consciousness astir the occupation of substance maltreatment successful the country.

He added that the predominant consciousness led to the instauration of a societal advocacy level precisely connected June 26, 2021 astatine the statesmanlike villa.

“The level is called War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), societal advocacy level to rise consciousness nationwide astir substance maltreatment and illicit cause trafficking.”

According to him, it is besides to mobilise everybody, including stakeholders, each citizens, irrespective of their property and status, to bargain successful and instrumentality ownership of the combat against substance abuse.

“The bureau is besides moving with different organisations, NGOs similar VGADA detox centre and a batch of different stakeholders, to prosecute with the people, to prosecute with everybody successful the society.

“This is starting from the household level, to the schools, students, communities, faith-based organisations similar churches and mosques.

“Also, those successful the centrifugal parks, those successful accepted institutions and the palaces among others are not near out,” helium said.

Earlier, Omeiza said that VGADA Detox Centre had squad of similar minds dedicated to connection selfless services for the peace, unity and advancement of the state successful the contiguous procreation and aboriginal ones.

He said that the centre remained committed to inculcating successful youths, the request to beryllium alert of harmful practices wrong their situation and the wide society.

This, helium said included informing the younker to enactment distant from drugs and substance maltreatment truthful arsenic to support themselves and the nine safe.