Africa: NDLEA rates Ekiti high on Marijuana

http://www.champion-newspapers.com/news/article10_170708.htm

VICTOR OGUNJE, ADO EKITI

EKITI State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rated the state as a leading producer of Marijuana a.k.a. Indian hemp on the African continent.

The Agency also threatened to prosecute any landlord who fails to monitor his tenants’ means of livelihood.

NDLEA also revealed that a landlord was now helping it to trace the whereabouts of his tenant who allegedly stocked 34kg of Indian hemp at the popular Fayose market, located at the Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti.

The Command had also launched a manhunt for one Bunmi Adeleye, who was said to have fled after being caught with 2.2kg of substance suspected to be a dangerous weed

Making the disclosures yesterday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, the state Commander of the anti-drug body, Mr Ben Ikani had declared that the largest seizure which was discovered in the state last April had made the state to be recognized by the United Nations Anti- drug department as one of the areas vulnerable to drug abuse

Operatives of the NDLEA had made a landmark record, through the seizure and destruction of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, worth N84million by conservative estimation of the Agency.

Ikane disclosed the Agency would be collaborating with the state government on the need to sensitize the public to reduce the scourge of drug abuse in the state, even as he solicited for useful information that would enable the Agency to be more efficient in its duties

According to him "We are in dire need of information because we need it to perform. We are not magicians, so we can only nab the perpetrators of this dastardly act if we have useful information from people.

"Though, a lot of programmes are on Radio and Television to get the people acquainted with the evils behind drug abuse and bad name attached to it. So, I assure, no efforts would be spared to make the state Drug free", he said

On the warning to the landlords to be wary of the activities of their tenants, Ikani disclosed that the law establishing the Agency empowered it to prosecute a landlord as an accomplice if he fails to promptly report the activities of his tenant.

Ikani said those now at large could not be declared wanted at present, clarifying that such order must come from the Headquarters of the Agency in Abuja.

He said, the culprit, Adeleye, who had escaped had not been arrested when he had fled, saying he managed to escape when his men had laid an ambush for him during a night operation

On the success recorded by the Agency in its efforts to rehabilitate some victims of drug abuse, the Commandant revealed that no fewer that four persons had been rehabilitated and some were still receiving treatment to bring them to normal life.