417 SUSPECTED DRUG OFFENDERS APPREHENDED; 54 FOUND GUILTY IN OYO

Babatunji Wusu –

Between January and December 2023, 417 people were detained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Oyo State Command, for a variety of drug-related offenses, and 54 convictions were obtained.

The state’s NDLEA commander, Olayinka Joe-Fadile, said this on Tuesday in Ibadan.

According to Joe-Fadile, 340 men and 77 women were among the suspects who were apprehended for trafficking in cannabis sativa, tramadol, diazepam, colorado, and other psychotropic chemicals within the time frame under investigation.

He stated that during the year under review, the command had captured eight tonnes of various narcotic and psychotropic substances worth at N135.6 million.

The commander went on to say that 54 of the 91 defendants the command had accused with drug-related offenses had been found guilty and were facing sentences ranging from six months to ten years in prison.The command provided 246 drug-using individuals—205 men and 41 women—with brief intervention through counseling.

During the evaluation period, thirteen individuals received rehabilitation and were reintegrated into society.

The commander stated, “Attempts are underway to equip and re-purpose the acquired facility in Iseyin for counseling and rehabilitation as a standard rehabilitation center.”

According to him, command operatives were always stationed at the state entry gates, where they reportedly intercepted a large number of drug traffickers who were allegedly bringing drugs into the state and made a large number of arrests.

According to Joe-Fadile, the leadership was making every effort to eradicate all areas in the state where drugs were regularly distributed.

He urged the state’s residents and other interested parties to work with the agency to eradicate illegal substances from the state.

“Although we are unable to be everywhere, we make every effort to stop a lot of drugs from entering the state and make good arrests at checkpoints.”

“We firmly think that drugs are the root cause of all crimes and acts of violence, thus taking drugs out of the picture strengthens our resolve to create a society free from crime.

“We can sanitize our society by working together to combat drug abuse,” he declared. NAN