The Benue State Governor, Gabriel Torwua Suswam, has commissioned the State Command office complex of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, renovated by the state government.
Suswam and the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, also led other stakeholders in the public destruction of 4,730.085kg of cannabis in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Suswam said that the state government renovated the dilapidated office to provide a befitting work environment for an effective war on narcotics.
“We must stem the drift of youths in drug abuse because it is depleting our farming population. The link between drug control and a secured society is very crucial that the responsibility should not be left to the NDLEA alone. The Federal Government and relevant authorities must see to the proper funding of the NDLEA,” Suswam stated.
The NDLEA boss, who was overwhelmed by the new face of the renovated office, thanked the governor for his intervention.
He said: “Let me express my heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency, Governor Suswam for his sterling role in the drug war. The high level support the Agency enjoys from the State is nonpareil and commendable. Providing a suitable work environment for the officers will further enhance their capacity.”
Giade urged other governors to partner with the Agency because the NDLEA cannot win the battle alone.
He stressed the importance of surveillance aircrafts to effectively monitor cannabis cultivation in the country.
According to Giade: “If drug syndicates are adamant, we must sustain our counter measures at all times. The Agency requires surveillance aircrafts to halt cannabis cultivation.”
Giade noted that Benue State is known as the food basket of the nation but some few criminally minded persons are diverting arable land into cannabis cultivation, adding: “The Agency will resist any attempt to derail the enviable agricultural status of the state. The Agency looks forward to the acquisition of surveillance aircrafts to detect cannabis plantations in virgin forests across the country.”
The NDLEA Benue State Commander, Mrs. Chinyere Obijuru, in her welcome address, stated that the command is saddled with enormous responsibility of controlling the huge appetite of youths in the state for illicit drugs.
According to Obijuru: “A major drug challenge for the Agency in the state is how to control the huge appetite for the consumption of cannabis and alcohol by the teeming youth population. The renovated office will encourage us to work harder.”