THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said weekend that the recent rise in cases of renewed violence in Delta State, particularly between youths of contending groups in the oil communities, was caused by a rise in the intake of narcotic drugs.

Delta State Commander of the agency, Mr. Aju Okopi-amen who made the disclosure explained that in the last six months, 17699kg of cannabis, 3.3kg of psychotropic substances, 882 pinches of heroin and 283 pinches of cocaine valued at N88.5million have been seized.

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Minna

Strong indications have emerged that no fewer than 388 women who were sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for drug trafficking to Thailand may be released by the federal government.

The drug pushers who have spent between 10 and 14 years in jail were initially convicted by the Thailand authorities for the offence, and were subsequently sentenced to death but they have been extradited to Nigeria and the penalty was commuted to life imprisonment and later to 40 years jail term.

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Lagos

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria has commended Alhaji Bello Lafiaji, Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA)over what it described as "Lafiaji' s unparalled leading role in Africa's efforts at tackling drugs."

An acknowledgement signed by Ian Munro of the Counter-Narcotics arm of the UNODC, maintained that Lafiaji's knowledge and experienced oversight of regional and global trends in illicit drug trafficking made him the perfect catalyst for the regional counter-narcotic efforts.

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The fight against drug abuse has suffered a set back in Taraba State as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has rated the state as the fifth among states infested with drug abuse in the country.

Speaking to Daily Trust in Jalingo, the Taraba State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr. Hatsiwa Shehu Bwala, said the state has become notorious for drug abuse.

Mr. Bwala, who was recently posted to the state following the upgrading of the Taraba NDLEA office, announced that some arrests were made in connection with drug abuse, saying efforts are being made to track down those involved in the nefarious act.

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Minister of Women Affairs and Youth development,Obong Rita Akpan, has lamented the spate of drug use by youths in the country.

She said that in a bid to fight the menace, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is to establish a rehabilitation center for children and young adults invovled in drug trafficking in Akwa Ibom state.

Obong Akpan, who disclosed this in Uyo, reiterated that it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of children and young adults involved in the trafficking of drugs because according to her "drug trafficking is a hidden and secretive business".

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Lagos

The Federal Government have been advised to set up policies and programmes to control drug abuse as it is currently doing for HIV/AIDS scourge in the country.

A communique issued at the end of a three-day workshop on the link between drug abuse and HIV/AIDS organised by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated that the problem of drug abuse has been in existence in Nigeria since the 1960s even before it gained international prominence.

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Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ededet Attih, has decried the use of hard drugs by youth in the state,describing the trend as negative.

Attih lamented the use of hard drugs by youth when the state commander of the Nigerian Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mrs. Florence Archibong, paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

Attih, who described the use of hard drugs by the citizenry as a menace to the society called on the NDLEA to intensify efforts against the spread of hard drugs among youths.

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Lagos

Courier companies operating in Nigeria have been enjoined to join in the fight to combat the trafficking of banned substances in the country.

Director-General National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Dave Ashang, who made the appeal at the opening ceremony of a two-day seminar for courier operators in Lagos yesterday, said drug traffickers were enemies of the nation.

Ashang stated that the gathering of stakeholders in the courier business for the seminar was a unique opportunity to rub minds in order to address the attendant consequences of drug trafficking and money laundering.

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LAGOS -- Vice President Atiku Abubakar declared yesterday that money laundering is a serious economic crime that distorts economic and fiscal indices, as well as has linkages with narcotics trafficking and organised crimes.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, Chief Akinlolu Olujimi, at a two-day seminar organised by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Golden & Partners (Investment Solicitors) in Lagos yesterday, Abubakar lamented that money laundering has dented Nigeria's image.

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Lagos

The federal government has vowed to intensify the war against money-laundering, saying that it is a war all Nigerians must embark upon and cooperate with one another in order for it to succeed.

Declaring open a two-day conference on money laundering and the Nigerian economy held at the L'meridian Eko Hotel, Lagos, yesterday, the Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was represented by the Justice minister, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (SAN), commended the NDLEA for its leading role in the fight against the drug scourge.

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National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Delta State Command has arrested 31 suspects for various drug offences in the last one month.

The agency commander in the state, Mr Aju Ameh who disclosed this yesterday said the suspects were apprehended in various locations with a total of 525.39kg of cannabis, 100 pinches of cocaine and 99 pinches of heroin found in their possession.

Ameh noted that with the onset of the dry season, indian hemp farmers around the area were visibly preparing to harvest the offensive weed and commence its trafficking, adding that the agency had mapped out strategies to check the activities of these farmers and traffickers.

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Lagos -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has begun distribution of materials for the training and rehabilitation of drug addicts in Nigeria.

UNODC, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has already identified 14 treatment and rehabilitation centres that will benefit from the scheme.

Speaking at a presentation ceremony at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, recently, UNODC representative in Nigeria, Mr. Paul Salay, said a major objective of the UNODC intervention was to accelerate the social reintegration of the former drug addicts to ensure that they contribute positively to their families and communities.

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Shehu Abubakar City

Benin

Th Edo State Muslim pilgrims board has embarked on campaigns against drug trafficking by intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia just as Governor Lucky Igbinedion warned that anybody caught in the Holy land over drug related crimes "will be on his own."

Addressing members at the inaugural meeting of the board, the chairman of the newly reconstituted body, Sheikh J. E. Abubakar, asked the 18 members of the board to go back to their various communities and enlighten intending pilgrims on the dangers invovled in trafficking drugs to Saudi Arabia.

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Abuja

The United States Government yesterday in Abuja donated the sum of N156 million ($1.1 million), to the Federal Government for drug control and law enforcement cooperation activities in the country.

At the signing agreement ceremony between the Federal and US governments, the Chairman Independent Cor-rupt Practices and other Related Offenses, Alhaji Mustapha Akanbi also called for assistance from the American government to help extradite Nigerians who flee to the US after committing offenses for prosecution.

Signing the agreement for additional funding for "Police Modernization Activities and NDLEA's Drug Control Activ-ities," Charg'd'Affairs of the American Embassy, Ambass-ador Roger Meece said yesterday's agreement has increased US assistance to the Federal Government for law enforcement programmes to N1.42 billion, ($10million), since 1999.

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Lagos

As the world continues to fashion out better ways of treating offenders using the UN Standard Minimum Rule (UNSMR), the Nigerian Prison Service and Police Force say they are trying to adopt the new standard.

Mr. Felix Obi, was arrested for drug trafficking at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on his way from Pakistan. He was tortured to the point of death. Others in his shoes never lived to tell the story, but he was lucky to survive it. "When I was arrested in Lagos, the security personnel took me to a dark dungeon at the airport. From the day of the arrest till the next day, I was given no food except physical assault.

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Lagos

A major restructuring aimed at re-positioning the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) throughout the federation has been effected by the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Alhaji Bello Lafiaji.

A statement signed by the assistant director, public affairs of the agency, Mr. Jonah Achema, stated that the organisation has been delineated into 37 State Commands, which are made up of the 36 states and Abuja.

According to Achema, nine special Area Commands, have also been established including Murtala Mohammed Interna-tional Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

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LAGOS -- CHAIRMAN of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Alhaji Bello Lafiaji yesterday in Lagos announced the delineation of the Agency into 37 state commands made up of the 36 states and Abuja in a major restructuring that will enable the agency to be in all the nooks and crannies of the Federation.

Alhaji Lafiaji said that nine special Area Commands made up of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja have been established. Others are the five major seaports: Tin Can Island Port, Apapa Warf, Warri Port, Calabar Port, NPA and Onne Port, both in Port Harcourt, while Seme and Idiroko land borders are now two separate special Area Commands. Top-level officers of the agency have been appointed to serve as State and Special Area Commanders respectively.

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Nigeria has been re-admitted into the UN Economic Council, following satisfactory performance on its war against drug, the Chairman, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Alhaji Bello Lafiagi, has said.

Lafiagi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that Nigeria's re-admission into the council followed the agency's successes on drug war both in the country and West African sub-region.

He said the agency currently coordinates the sub-regional drug war involving the 13 west African countries.

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Lagos

A new initiative to combat drug trafficking in the West African sub-region was unveiled last week when the agreement for the upgrading of the NDLEA Training Academy, Jos into a regional training centre, was signed between the agency and UNODC. Godwin Haruna was there.

That the drug war has assumed a global phenomenon is no longer news. As the battle to contain the trafficking and the consumption of the banned substances continues, a new dimension to the efforts was unfolded last week by the two principal bodies leading the fight in Nigeria. Essentially, it was a move aimed at firming up the personnel used as instruments to curtail the activities of those engaged in the illicit trade.

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THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Zone 16 Command comprising Enugu and Ebonyi states has apprehended 19 cannabis (Indian hemp) dealers with 52.38 kilograms of the substance recovered from the suspects.

The Zonal Commander of the agency, Chief Adoga Anyebe parading four of the suspects in Enugu said that the arrests were made within Ebonyi and Enugu states between June and this month, following the battle intensified against drug dealers in the zone by operatives of the agency. He said that the highest arrest and recovery of Indian hemp ever recorded in the zone was made last week when 41.5 kilograms of the prohibited substance was recovered from two drug barons at 9th Mile Corner, near Enugu, adding that the two suspects, Messrs Emmanuel Dick Ukpabi (alias Early Momo) from Ohaozara and Onwe Ikechukwu from Ezza both in Ebonyi State, would soon be charged to court.

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