The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has begun the raid of Indian hemp smoking joints in Anambra State ahead of the general election starting next month.
Already, 20 suspects have been arrested in the exercise and would be made to face the law.
NDLEA Commander in the state Sule Momodu, who disclosed this yesterday at a press conference in Awka, said the exercise was a preemptive measure to take away the substance out of the reach of the youths during the elections.
He warned that any person arrested in such circumstance would be made to face the law and urged parents to advise their children to flee from drug.
He said, “Since there is no crime without drug, we have started raiding smoking joints in the state ahead of the elections.
“It has been a common practice for politicians to procure drugs for their thugs during elections, so we have commenced this exercise to ensure that there will be no place to obtain or smoke such drugs during the elections.
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“Sometimes they don’t come back after our raid; sometimes they do. We want to tell them that drug is not the way of life.”
Momodu said the Agency intends to work in conjunction with the Operation Python Dance III to discourage the vice and warned politicians to desist from misleading young people by procuring drugs for them during elections.
While warning that any politician caught in such act would be punished accordingly, the State Commander said, “We can raid private houses of politicians if it is established that crime is committed there.
“We intend to work in conjunction with the Operation Python Dance III for this purpose. Politicians don’t have immunity. Anybody arrested will face the full force of the law; we will ensure the sledge hammer falls on such culprit.
“We will increase operations to ‘starve’ this youth of this drug by ensuring that they won’t have a place to smoke it and a place to obtain it.
“What we are telling our politicians is to leave our young men alone. Drug is not a way of life.”