The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Nigeria Country Office, on Monday began a three-day stakeholders’ engagement on insecurity, crime and drug abuse in Zamfara State.

Sulaiman Idris, media aide to Governor Dauda Lawal in a statement in Gusau on Monday, said that the workshop was a UN assessment and programming mission to guide it on how to respond to insecurity, drug abuse and other challenges.

He said the UN team, led by the Country’s Representative of UNODC, Oliver Stolpe, would engage with key stakeholders in various sectors during the three-day period of the programme.

According to the statement, the workshop will provide stakeholders and the visiting UN team with a platform to collectively analyse the scope, manifestations, drivers and trends of insecurity, crime and drug abuse in Zamfara.

“The workshop will further share good practices and approaches from within and beyond Nigeria, in tackling these challenges to develop a joint action plan,” it said.

The statement quoted Mr Lawal as urging the team of resourceful individuals from the UN to demonstrate a collective commitment to addressing the challenges of banditry and other crimes, and their connection with drug abuse.

He further quoted Mr Lawal as saying that he recently visited the UN to solicit its intervention in addressing some of the pressing challenges the state was facing.

Mr Lawal was quoted as saying, “I had constructive engagements with the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed and leadership of its agencies, including the Head of Drug and Crime office. The seminar, therefore, is a testimony of the UN’s proactive measures to fulfil the promises of helping us understand more and how to address these challenges.

“For over a decade, Zamfara has been battling with these problems that undermine the safety and well-being of our people and impede socioeconomic development. My administration, therefore, takes this visit and workshop seriously, as the outcome will inform our future policies, decisions and strategies for combating the menace. I am delighted to note that a wide range of issues will be discussed during the workshop. These will include the manifestations and root causes of insecurity and crimes, especially kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal mining and inter communal violence.

“The workshop shall seek to ascertain the role of various state security actors and traditional institutions in combating the problems. It shall also seek UN support to strengthen the criminal justice response to organised crime and community-based crime prevention. The scope, trends and societal implications of drug abuse in Zamfara and good practices in drug use prevention, treatment, and care, among other important issues, are slated for discussion at the meeting.

“I urge all participants to use this opportunity to engage actively to benefit from the workshop proceedings. You should listen, learn, and contribute constructively. I hope that, at the end, all the participants will be better off for the good of our communities and state. The insights and recommendations generated here will be crucial in shaping our strategies and actions in dealing with the problems that confront us.’’

(NAN)