The Nasarawa State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 42 suspected drug traffickers and seized 700 kilogrammes of illicit drugs between July 2016 and June 2017.
Its Commander, Mr Ethan Sumaila, who disclosed this, on Tuesday, in Lafia, identified cannabis sativa and Indian hemp as the commonest illicit drugs in the state.
Sumaila was briefing newsmen as part of activities to mark the 2017 United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
He said that the Federal High Court in Lafia had convicted 39 suspects, while three cases were still ongoing.
“We also rehabilitated 171 drug users within the period through the aggressive counselling programme of the agency.
“Most of those rehabilitated were arrested by the agency, while some were voluntarily brought in by their guardians.
“Currently, we have two young men in our facility who were brought in by their parents; counselling and rehabilitation programme remain the best remedy, given the low rate of relapse.
“The combination of physical and spiritual counselling of drug addicts proved most effective in rehabilitating addicts, who were at the brink of insanity,’’ Sumaila said.
He said that the rate of drug trafficking went down within the period under review, and attributed that to the high rate of convictions that deterred many from the trade.
“NDLEA’s efforts towards eradicating the scourge of drug trafficking and abuse have been effective, but we shall not relent until the menace is reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.
The commander thanked the state government for its support over the years, and promised full commitment to the war against drug sale and abuse in Nasarawa State. (NAN)