TARABA FIFTH IN DRUG ABUSE - NATIONAL DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

The fight against drug abuse has suffered a set back in Taraba State as the
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has rated the state as the
fifth among states infested with drug abuse in the country.

Speaking to Daily Trust in Jalingo, the Taraba State Commander of the
NDLEA, Mr. Hatsiwa Shehu Bwala, said the state has become notorious for
drug abuse.

Mr. Bwala, who was recently posted to the state following the upgrading of
the Taraba NDLEA office, announced that some arrests were made in
connection with drug abuse, saying efforts are being made to track down
those involved in the nefarious act.

The commander said that the agency was in possession of information about
the level of involvement of farmers who engaged in the cultivation of
Indian hemp. He said already, about four farms have been taken over by the
NDLEA while others are being traced.

Mr. Bwala lamented that a serious case which unfolds in the state is that
of youths injecting themselves with dangerous drug substance.

He said while some arrests have already been made and the culprits taken to
Yola for counselling, there is still the tendency of the increasing nature
of the scourge.

He said the Agency has devised a means of liaising with the Nigeria police
for handing over of suspects in drug related cases.

He however said that the success of the agency's operation lies on support
from the Taraba State government.

Although he commended the efforts of the NDLEA headquarters, which he
described as encouraging, he called on the Taraba State government to
assist the agency with what he referred to as "just a little support" of
vehicles, to enable his men move and track down the menace of drug abuse.

Mr. Bwala said that the cultivation of drugs are carried out in villages
which can only be reached through mobility.

He pledged that if his request from the state governmental is granted, his
team will change the rating of the state to better a ranking in the NDLEA
drug list.

He called on parents to resist the agency with relevant information about
their wards who engage in drug abuse so as to facilitate counselling and
rehabilitation with a view to developing the social wellbeing of their
children and the state at large.