By CHARLES IWUOHA

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has called for stringent legislations against drug dealers and offences as a way of curbing drug abuse in Nigeria.

Governor Otti made the call when he played host to the New National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) State Commandant for Abia State, Mr. Joseph Owoputi, who came on a familiarisation visit to his office.

The Governor further called for the crackdown on drugs cartel in order to cut off the distribution of illicit substances. He argued that since over ninety percent of crime is connected to drug abuse, upscaling the punishment would go a long way in discouraging youths from going into drugs.

?We just need to crack the drug cartel. So, if you crack the drug cartel, then the crime disappears.

?Unfortunately, the law is a bit lenient on the use of drugs. I didn?t know that until I was in one of the security council meetings. They said that whenever you apprehend somebody using drugs, you counsel and rehabilitate the person. That?s not enough punishment.

?So, we need to, maybe lobby, and get it passed at the National Assembly. So that the law can be tougher because if you are not dealing with the source, you are just wasting time. So, I think we should do that.

?Because it?s destroying a lot of young people. Some of them are not able to remain in school. For those that are of school age,? Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor welcomed the new Commandant to the State and assured him of the support of his administration to the agency in its fight against drug abuse.

This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Otti?s Chief press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha and made available to journalists in Umuahia.

He further approved 2 new Hilux vans for the agency and directed that the agency?s abandoned vehicles be retrieved and fixed by his Government.

Earlier, the Abia State Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Joseph Owoputi, saluted the achievements of the Governor and his support to the NDLEA, saying that the support has assisted the agency in its fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trade.

?I was reliably informed by my predecessor that you have been a dependable ally and Messiah to NDLEA,? he said.

In assessing his scorecard, the Commandant disclosed that 65 suspects were arrested by the Command between June and August with about 82 kilo gram of substances seized from them. He added that seven convictions were obtained within the period under review, and 12 are currently being prosecuted, while 38 individuals are undergoing both counselling and rehabilitation in the command?s facility.

He assured that he would consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor and solicited the assistance of the State government in providing them with operational vehicles for more performance.

The meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Navy Commander Mcdonald Ubah (Rtd), the GM/CEO, Abia State Homeland Security Board, Col. Chidi Kalu Ukoha (Rtd), the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Homeland Security, Medical and Fire Emergency, Mr. Chukwunenye Alajemba, CSOs to the Governor, Sir Ken Nwosu, and Maduka Obiora.

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