ENDING THE DRUG PEDDLING SCOURGE

Drug peddling in Nigeria is now a nuisance. No day passes without
stories of drug trafficking and peddling in the country. And this is
in spite of the efforts of the authorities to stem the tide of drug
trafficking.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
recently arrested six suspects for hawking fake and sub-standard drugs
in market places in kebbi. According to the state coordinator of the
agency, Mr. Fraden Bitrus, fake drugs worth more than 745,000 naira
were also seized from patent medicine dealers in the area. He said the
seized drugs included injections, antibiotics and some controlled drugs.

Similarly narcotic agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
arrested one Ikenna Nzeocha with 3.672 kg of cocaine valued at 8.75
million naira at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Nzeocha was
to travel on board British Airways on business trip when he was
arrested. He cleverly strapped the wraps of cocaine on his thigh and
wore jeans to give it a better body packaging. When arrested, he
confessed to be the owner of the drugs. He said it was painful that he
had disappointed his family.

According to him, it was greed that pushed him into the drug business.
The commander of NDLEA at the airport Mr. Victor Cole-Showers said the
huge money Nzeocha invested in the business implied that he was not a
first timer in the business. However, there had been earlier cases of
drug trafficking in the country.

Not long ago, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Rivers State
arrested sixty-two suspected drug traffickers and seized 291.18
kilogrammes of hard drugs.

According to the Assistant State Commander of the Agency, Mr. Adamu
Agege, the arrest and seizures were made between January and June
2007. He said, of the 62 suspects 53 were males while nine were
females. Mr. Agege further announced that 27 suspects were convicted
at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt while 31 others were awaiting
trial.

It has also been revealed that more than two hundred million people
use one form of hard drug or the other daily. It should also be noted
that the use of such drugs has led to violent crimes such as armed
robbery, murder, rape, hostage taking, cultism and threat to national
security. In fact, ninety per cent of crimes in this country are
committed under the influence of hard drugs.

It will be remembered that a popular Nigeria actress Hassanat Taiwo
Akinwande also known as Winmi was sentenced to three years
imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for drug
trafficking. According to report, the actress excreted 92 wraps of
cocaine when caught by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in September,
2006.

It will be remembered that a Nigerian teenager, Iwuchukwu Amara
Torchi, was executed by the Singaporean authorities for drug
trafficking. The boy was arrested at the Singaporean Changi Airport in
November, 2004 for carrying about 272 grammes of heroin valued at
970,000 dollars after arriving from Dubai. Convicted in December 2005,
he was executed on January 26, 2007 in spite of appeals by the
Nigerian Government.

Drugs usually trafficked and peddled include madras, marijuana, Indian
hemp and cannabis. These drugs are harmful to the human body as many
mental cases are traceable to indiscriminate use of these drugs. Drug
traffickers and peddlers should consider the consequences of their
activities and desist from the dangerous and illegal trade.

It should be noted that no community or individual is safe where drug
business thrives. It is embarrassing to think of citizens of this
country travelling to other lands to engage in drug trafficking and
other criminal activities thereby lowering the reputation of Nigeria.
This should be condemned totally. We appeal to those Nigerians who are
into the illegal trade in drugs to stop forthwith.