Daily Chronicle
Bauchi State Government (BASG) has inaugurated a Taskforce committee to work out modalities aimed at curtailing and tackling the sale and consumption of Illicit drugs across the state.
Inaugurating the committee recently, at the new Banquet Hall, Government House, Bauchi, the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim, said the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed was disturbed by the prevalence of sale and consumption of illicit drugs in the state, hence the need to approved the formation of the taskforce.
He said the Taskforce was to complement the efforts of the NDLEA in the state in the fight against illicit drugs considering its detrimental consequences on socio-economic development of the state so as to put an end, to the to urgly situation.
“The Committee’s terms of reference includes, to intercept illicit drugs in transit, suspected warehouses, shops and residences, arrest persons involved in the business for prosecution, arrest persons found consuming illicit drugs and to map-up strategies of checkmating the activities of the sellers and consumers of the drugs in the State.
“Others are to devise ways of blocking the supply of illicit drugs in the state, advise Government on how best to treat and rehabilitate dependent persons in order to reduce the numbers of drugs users as well as give advise on the professional ways and means of revitalization of policies and programmes aimed at controlling illicit drugs sale and consumption in the state in addition to sensitizing the general public on the increasing menace of drug abuse/trafficking and its negative consequences.”
Barrister Kashim Kashim therefore directed the taskforce to take any other action towards curtailing the sale and consumption of drugs in the state and urged members of the committee to discharge the assignment to the best of their abilities in order to achieve the desired objectives.
Responding, the Chairman of the Taskforce who is the Commander of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency in the State, Ali Manu said NDLEA as a leading Agency in the War Against Drug Abuse and trafficking, cannot win the war alone, hence the need for the support of all and sundry, particularly, Government, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), religious bodies and sister security agencies to enable it raise awareness and share information on the cancerous menace of the spectre of illicit substance abuse and trafficking to people, immediate environment and the nation at large.
He disclosed that, the command through constant intelligence – led raid operations on black spots and identified drug dealers, has arrested 162 suspects with a seizure of 673.499kg of different classes of drugs from August 2022 to date.