NDLEA Move Against Drug Barons

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has commenced a total
offensive against drug barons.

The declaration was made by Chairman/Chief Execu-tive of the Agency,
Ahmadu Giade, at the public destruction of exhibits at Badagry on
Monday July 30, 2007 where a total of 2,811.17 kilogrammes of
various hard drugs seized by the Lagos State Command of the Agency
and duly forfeited by the law courts were publicly set ablaze.

Cannabis also known as Indian hemp, has the highest quantity with
2,516.202kilogrammes. Cocaine is next with 243.408kilogramme and 79
Pinches, while heroin is 51.560 kilogrammes.

According to Giade, the Lagos State and Seme commands have seized
over 130 bags of Cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) in three separate
raid within the last two weeks.

He said the colossal seizures recently made, coupled with the ones
already forfeited reveals that the drug problem as portrayed by the
Agency is far from being an illusion.

The NDLEA boss warned that the catastrophic consequences of illicit
drug production, trafficking and abuse are worse than a time bomb
ready for explosion, adding that it is undisputable that most
heinous criminal activities are perpetrated under the influence of drugs.

In order to ensure a safe and healthy society the Agency has no
alternative than to embolden her capacity to hunt down these arch
enemies of the State-drug barons and their accomplices. We can not
afford to abandon our highly cherished democracy to be contaminated
by the illegal proceeds of drugs; neither must we permit our economy
to be polluted by laundered money nor must we allow our treasured
youths who are the leaders of tomorrow to be derailed by drug
trafficking and abuse. The Agency has commenced a total offensive on
drug barons and will continue to chase them, arrest them, seize
their drugs and publicly destroy them in a funfair like this.
Besides, the assets, bank accounts and ill-gotten business
empires of drug barons will be traced, frozen and confiscated. This
will help to incapacitate drug barons both financially and
otherwise. The country's anti-narcotic position is very clear and it
will not brook compromise in the discharge of this national task .
The occasion was attended by His Royal Majesty De Wheno Aholu
Menu Toyi 1, the Akran of Badagry, representatives of the United
States Drug Enforcement (USDEA) in Nigeria led by Mr Sam Gaye and
consular attache Mao Yizong of the Consulate General of the People's
Republic of China in Nigeria . Also present were heads of security
agencies and very senior officers of the Agency.