Pubdate: Thu, 11 Sep 2008
Source: Vanguard (Nigeria)
Copyright: 2008 Vanguard.
Contact:  http://www.vanguardngr.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2890
Author: Simon Ebegbulem

NDLEA BOSS ADVOCATES STIFFER PUNISHMENT FOR DRUG BARONS

THE Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement  Agency (NDLEA), in
Edo State, Mr. Okey Ihebom, says  some of the sentences given to drug
barons by the  courts are discouraging to law enforcement agencies in
the country, saying that the activities of the barons would persist
unless they are given more severe  punishment by the courts.

The NDLEA Commander who disclosed that over five thousand bags of
Indian hemp were seized in the state  since January this year till
date, regretted that out  of eighty-one suspects that were taken to
court since  the beginning of the year, only twenty persons were convicted.

"And honestly, this situation is quite discouraging  because sometimes
it takes us up to three months to  track some of these people who
engage in this illegal  business.

Some of our people in the course of their duty are killed and it is
painful that when they are finally  arrested and prosecuted, the court
will give three  months in imprisonment, sometimes two. Though there
are  also some judges that understand it too and they give
appropriate punishment," he said.

Mr Ihebom stressed that "the law stipulated 15 years  for offenders
but when we take them to court they give  them three months. It is not
fair. There was an  incident where the drug baron was arrested and we
know  he is one of the worst in the state, he even killed some of our
men who caught him some years ago.

But when this man was arrested, he was granted bail. But we know how
dangerous he is and luckily he was  arrested again even after he was
granted bail for the  same offence.

"So the truth is that if we must fight these drug barons, the
judiciary must play a major role. Most  times, the very day you
release this people after  serving three months they go back to the
business.

But if they are allowed to spend some time in the prison, they will
know it is dangerous for them to  engage in such illicit business" he
said.

He further solicited for assistance in the area of logistics,
explaining that "these traffickers are  hostile people, so we need
operational vehicles to  combat them effectively.

That is the only way we can be able to go to the bushes where they
are and fight them. We must also know that you cannot fight
criminality in the society without  fighting drugs first because armed
robbers use drugs  before embarking in robbery activities. So we must
first of all curb drug trafficking before fighting  other forms of
criminality".
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