By EGBO GRACE, Abakaliki

The South-East Governors Forum has resolved that government would henceforth take over all shops and locations where hard drugs are sold in any part of the region.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, disclosed this in a statement he signed after an emergency virtual meeting of the governors on November 30.

Umahi added that all those promoting trade in illicit drugs, or indulging in consuming them would be prosecuted.

“We resolved to be very committed in our fight against hard drugs in our region, especially the new one called Methamphetamine, locally known in the South-East as Mkpurumiri.

“We have decided that all shops and locations where any hard drug is sold will be forfeited to the state government and all those promoting the trade or indulging in hard drugs shall be seriously isolated to face the law.

“Rehabilitation of those misled into hard drugs is also ongoing. We urge community leaders to give secret phone calls through the special numbers offered by our governors on security and hard drug.”

Umahi also condemned in strong terms the video clip and write-up circulating in some social and print media where two policemen were said to have been killed and their heads cut off by youths who styled themselves as members of the Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN).

“We have resolved among ourselves to work with security agencies to determine the authenticity of this video/report and if found to be true, the perpetrators would be arrested by all possible means to face the law.”

The governor said: “We are aware of similar videos in the past and which when subjected to forensic review, were found out to have happened outside Nigeria. We assure Nigerians, especially the police community that we will not rest until we have done justice to this matter.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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