The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are set to partner towards the building of more rehabilitation centres in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, when she paid a courtesy visit to the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Muhammad Buba Marwa (rtd), in his office in Abuja.
Hon Dabiri-Erewa revealed that with the alarming rate of drug abuse in the country, some Nigerians in the Diaspora have shown interest in building rehabilitation centres across the country, and a lot of them are even willing to offer free counseling services.
The NIDCOM boss explained that the visit to NDLEA had become expedient against the backdrop of the Zainab Aliyu’s case of May 14, 2019 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Zainab Aliyu was allegedly accused of drug trafficking and subsequently sentenced to death, but through the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIDCOM, Zainab Aliyu and Ibrahim Ibrahim were set free.
The NDLEA boss, Brigadier Buba Marwa, commended NiDCOM for its excellent public image and accomplishments within a short period, assuring that his office would not relent until justice is served.
Brigadier General Marwa gave assurances that the airports are now more strict and efforts have been intensified in the airports to safeguard innocent citizens and reduce drug-related incidents.
Marwa also welcomed NiDCOM’s initiative whereby Diaspora Nigerians embark on sensitisation and counselling against drug use, abuse and trafficking, especially by young adults and the building of more rehabilitation centres across the country.
Marwa stated further that more rehabilitation centres are needed, “as we seize and prosecute, we should also consider those who abuse substances and find ways to rehabilitate them”, he said.
