'S'WEST NOW HUB OF CANNABIS TRADE'

Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade, has bemoaned the high rate at which
cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) is being cultivated, in the South-west
geo-political zone of the country. He said , 992 drug suspects were
arrested, 223 convicted, and 175,835.53 various drugs seize in the
zone. He equally hinted that "quite a number of our forest reserves
have today been effectively penetrated, with the active connivance of
some unscrupulous persons who for the sake of peanuts, have decided to
look the other way while enemies of the society grow weeds that pose a
threat to our collective existence." Giade spoke yesterday in
Abeokuta, at the South-west zonal workshop on awareness campaign on
the prevention of illicit drug crop cultivation, trafficking and
abuse in Nigeria, held at the Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun sate
capital. He observed that drug problem has become a major threat to
the nation's socio-political wellbeing, saying if not dealt with
decisively as expected fron the anti-illicit drug agency, posterity
would not be fair to those concerned. According to him, NDLEA would do
everything possible to bring drug barons in the country to book,
adding that if the barons were allowed to operate unfettered, the
Nigerian society would bear the sour brunt. Describing drug barons as
enemies of the state, the NDLEA boss, said the aggressive war against
the illicit drug trade by the agency would be sustained, stressing
that those found guilty of contravening the law of the land, would
face its full wrath. In his address at the occasion , Governor Gbenga
Daniel of Ogun State, said it was a sad development for the South west
to be the hub of illicit drug cultivation and trafficking in the
country, as revealed by the agency's record. Daniel, who said the
region was noted for cash and food crops production like cocoa and
kola nuts among others stressed the need to arrest the negative trend,
where the activities of a select few would give the region a bad
name. According to him, greed and desire to make quick money at the
expense of the larger society, was the root cause as to why dealing in
illicit drugs has been on the rise. adding that the trend must not be
allowed to continue, as this could be achieved by identifying and
bring to book those dealing in the trade.