NDLEA says commercial buses operating from motor parks are increasingly being used to transport illicit drugs across states.
- +NDLEA Raises Alarm Over Use Of Motor Parks For Drug Shipments
The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday raised alarm that motor parks in Lagos, Oyo, Kwara, Osun and other cities of the country have become routes for transporting drugs and hard substances in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday raised alarm that motor parks in Lagos, Oyo, Kwara, Osun and other cities of the country have become routes for transporting drugs and hard substances in Nigeria.
The NDLEA Commander in Kwara State, Fatima Abiola Popoola, made the disclosure in Ilorin on Wednesday while participating at the MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) stakeholders’ conference held in the state capital.
At the stakeholders’ conference themed, “The World Drug Problem: Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses,” Mrs. Popoola said that unless more corporate bodies join the MTN Foundation in the drug war, Nigeria may not get out of the doldrums.
According to her, illicit drug dealers in Kwara often get their supplies from Lagos, Oyo, Abuja and other sources through commercial bus operators.
She explained that fighting the channel is most times difficult because some of the drivers, believed to be financially induced, always avoid checkpoints.
Popoola, however, added that aside from commercial bus drivers, “some peddlers also use tinted SUV vehicles to convey the banned substances.”
She pleaded with corporate organisations to emulate the MTN Foundation in fighting drug abuse among youths.
She advised that the one per cent deduction after tax annually used by MTN has gone a long way in fulfilling its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), lamenting that the menace has eaten deeply into the fabric of society.
She said, “It is a known fact that most crimes committed by the youths have underlying drug abuse.
“We are calling on parents and community leaders to please take due care of their young ones,” she pleaded.
Fielding questions from newsmen, the Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Nnafatimah Imam, described the MTN Foundation advocacy conference as laudable and a move towards ensuring a drug-free society.
Meanwhile, other speakers, including MTN Foundation officials, agreed on the need for more advocacy efforts in Nigeria to encourage youths to shun illicit substances that could hinder the realisation of their potential.
