ASHIWAJU MEDIA: Obi of Onitsha Calls For Concerted Effort To Fight Drug Abuse in Anambra

NDLEA Official Paid A Courtesy Visit On
Igwe Alfed Nnemeka Achebe, The Obi Of Onitsha
The Traditional Ruler of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe has stressed the need for security agencies in Anambra state to assure absolute confidence of information provided by informant is restored.

He made the call in Onitsha when the team of the Anambra state command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Led by the state Commander, Mr. Sule Momodu paid him a courtesy visit to map out ways to reduce the abuse of drug consumption and trafficking in the state.

NDLEA Commander, Mr. Sule Momodu Speaking

To Igwe Afred Achebe At His Onitsha Palace Igwe Achebe decried the situation where information given to security agency and the grounds of confidentiality and later leaked to the detriment of the information provider, he said: ‘’People are now fed up to report to the police because when they report to the police and other law enforcement agency, the people you complained about will come back and say if you try it again, they will kill you.

‘’And anybody who is a drug dealer can kill and they kill as well , so people are afraid and even my chiefs are afraid and I say Okay I will talk to the Governor about this so that they can come and kill me’’. He lamented.

He disparaged the unfortunate incidents that happen in the riverine area of Onitsha and its environs as a result of uncontrolled used of drugs and promised to partner with the NDLEA to rid the environment free of drug consumption and trafficking.

The Traditional Ruler charged men of the command to step up their games in the bid to ensure that moral rectitude on drug education should to taught in schools, to serve as the foundation for molding a future that will be drug awareness savvy.

‘’Onitsha is a cosmopolitan city, unfortunately, clubs and hotels especially the senior ones are opportunities for drug addiction, we got problem with GRA and their complains are enormous in our records.

‘’There was a place in the inter land of Onitsha called FRUGAL NIGHT CLUB, nobody, even police know the place the most painful thing is that it is been operated by an Okija man, and we have on many occasion told him to go to Okija to run a night club, young girls about 15-years-old are used for sex trade, when Sun set and people who are going to their houses, would use that place as their first point of call and it’s often described as the Sodom and Gomora, where prostitution, child Abuse , illegal pregnancy, some of them are also into abortion, others, when they make the baby, they will sell the baby for 200,000 naira etc.

‘’A particular individual is the kingpin of drug trafficking in Onitsha, why not mount your men and place a 24 hours surveillance their or you arrest some of his sub distributors who are dealing with those drugs and so on’’.

‘’We don’t accept that the arrest of the drug kingpin in Onitsha is impossible to find, if the resources in Anambra is not enough, then let’s get resources from the central .
''Fegge and all of that is a different kettle of fish, challenges are there also , if you go to the river banks side of Fegge, there you have many abandoned houses, they move in when they feel and go out again’’ .

‘’We would urge you to form a partnership and get our youths motivated, then they can swing into action to help in the fight against illicit drug trafficking in the area.’’ He Solicited.

Igwe Achebe however assured the NDLEA Commander that he will make an appeal to Governor Willie Obiano to provide the men of the command with the modern Speed boats to enable them arrest drug barons who used the water ways as their means of transportation to ferry their goods into the state and a defensive mechanism to nip in the board a proactive measure to ensure drug criminals would not have any hiding place to carry out their illicit activities in the state.

‘’What is happening to the community is every body’s business because people only need the assurance of the security agency to ensure information provided does not leak for the safety of the informant and security as the maxim say is everybody’s business , safety is everybody’ business and drug free environment is everybody’s business , and we must work together’’.

‘’I will take it upon myself to raise the matter with the governor on the need to provide your command with patrol speed boats to enable you carry out effective operation in the water ways to support you request’’.

‘’Every community in Anambra and Nigeria that is increasing in populations are prone to be the breeding ground for drug trafficking havens, because, some men would take to idleness and sense of hopelessness which may lead them to the danger of drug abuse and trafficking’’.

‘’I want to assure you of our total support to make you succeed but if we do not see any result, we get frustrated’’. Igwe Achebe charged.

Earlier in the visit, the commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Sule Momodu had solicited for the cooperation of the traditional rulers in the state to assist in educating their subjects on the need to do away with drug abuse and recounted dangers inherent in drug trafficking but request further for the full participation of the people to provide adequate information that will led to the arrest of suspected drug merchants in their communities.

He assured of the command’s resolve to treat all information that will lead to arrest of any drug traffickers with utmost confidentiality and called on the Igwe of Onitsha , Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe to assist the command in the fight against illicit drug consumption and trafficking in Anambra state.