The National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) Ekiti command, has decried the prevalence of cocaine, Indian hemp and other hard drugs in the state, describing the development as “worrisome.”

The NDLEA commander in Ekiti, Gaura Shedow, who announced the seizure of 87.88 grammes of cocaine in the state on Thursday noted that the seizure was the largest quantity in the history of the state.

Mr Shedow said the command had been battling with fighting Indian hemp cultivation, but that in recent time seizing such quantities of cocaine was “worrisome.”

Speaking on the celebration of the 2021 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the NDLEA boss decried the alarming rate of drug abuse in the society.

He said the cultivation of Indian hemp, also known as Cannabis Sativa, has always topped the list in Ekiti since 2004.

He, however, said that the recent seizure of large numbers of cocaine in the state had become a thing of concern to the command.

Mr Shedow added that the command between July 2020 and May 2021 seized a total of 1,605.33 kilogrammes of illicit drugs in Ekiti.

“Within this period under review, we seized 1,516.3kg of cannabis; cocaine – 87.88 grammes; and Heroine – 1.1 grammes.

“It is worrisome that we recently seized 87.88 grammes of cocaine, the largest number in the history of Ekiti,” he said.

Mr Shedow stated that 29 suspects were arrested, 27 of whom were males and while two were females. He said two convictions were secured at the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti.

“We carried out 25 sensitisation programmes at schools, communities and motor parks as well as five Drug Free Clubs in secondary and tertiary institutions,” the NDLEA boss said.

He, therefore, urged the people of Ekiti, especially the youth, to desist from using illicit drugs by avoiding friends that are into drugs.

He said that only concerted efforts could help in tackling the menace.

He called on parents to assist the agency with necessary information of the wards in the fight against drug abuse in the country and Ekiti in particular.

The 2021 United Nations fight against drug abuse with the theme, “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Live” was aimed at combating the misinformation and sharing of facts on the danger of drug abuse.

(NAN)