The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has inaugurated special squads to curb open sales and consumption of illicit drugs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Kabiru Tsakuba, commander of narcotics (CN), NDLEA, FCT command, said this in an interview with journalists on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Tsakuwa said the approach would be through the dislodgement of notorious drug joints, the arrest of drug dealers, the seizure of drugs and the prosecution of offenders.

He said FCT was unique because it had an international airport where some flights come directly from drug-source countries and others from East African countries where hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, could be accessed.

According to him, some may find their way into the town despite the interdiction efforts of the NDLEA officers at the airport.

“The FCT, by its nature, has high-income localities interspersed with low-income slums where drug peddlers can take advantage to deal in drugs.

“There are individuals that can afford to buy any kind of drug of their choice without having to bother in any way.

“These, among many reasons, therefore, create veritable opportunities for drug peddlers, like in other cities of the world, to trade in these criminal substances,” Mr Tsakuwa said.

He also pointed out that the NDLEA has been engaged in combating the open sales of illicit drugs through two major approaches: “drug supply reduction” and “drug demand reduction.”

The narcotics commander said NDLEA created these special squads to deal with actionable intelligence, as it comes in, to curb illicit drug activities through the dislodgement of notorious drug joints, the arrest of dealers, the seizure of drugs and the prosecution of offenders.

Mr Tsakuwa added that the agency had intensified its patrol strategy and sensitisation in schools, churches, mosques and other organisations.

“There is an existing collaboration with parks management and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in information sharing and sensitisation.

“We have also strengthened our interdiction efforts at the entry points via a well-fashioned and effective patrol strategy.

“This is along the major entry points such as Abaji-Lokoja Road, Gwagwalada-Kwali Road, Bwari-Jere Road, and Mararaba/Nyanya Road, among others, to check the influx of drugs that may want to find their way into the FCT, “ he said. 

(NAN)