Posted by The Federal Capital area command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has presented new initiatives with the goal of reducing drug abuse and illegal trafficking in the area.
In an interview that took place on Wednesday in Abuja with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the commander of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Kabir Tsakuwa, revealed this information.
Tsakuwa stated that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) served as a significant gateway connecting the southern region to other regions of the country, and that this contributed to the city's cosmopolitan character.
He stated that the command had increased the amount of effort being put on interdiction at the primary entry points.
According to him, this is in addition to the numerous recreational centers, such as parks and gardens, where a lot of different types of social activities take place.
In addition to this, he stated that a well-designed and intelligence-driven motorized patrol had been ensured to be present along the major access points such as the Abaji-Lokoja route, the Gwagwalada-Kwali road, the Bwari-Jere road, and the Mararaba/Nyanya road.
Tsakuwa commented that “this has helped the command tremendously in checking those that may want to take advantage of the busy roads to traffic drugs along these routes into the FCT directly or on transit as the case may be.”
According to him, “we also embark on aggressive advocacy visits to all of the stakeholders within the FCT, particularly the traditional rulers to ask for their support.” These visits were made in order to gain support from the traditional rulers.
“As a result of this, the communities are now well informed of the necessity of owing the campaign against the usage of drugs and the trafficking of illegal drugs.
“We also leverage on our call center with phone No (080010203040), which was established by the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier-General Buba Marwa.
“The platform was designed with the intention of enabling the public to pass information on a 24/7 basis about drug activities in their areas or about drug dependent persons who may need help without having to disclose their identity for prompt action or response,” it says on its website. “The public can pass information about drug activities in their areas or about drug dependent persons who may need help.”