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A former Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ogbonnaya Onovo has described drug abuse as catalyst to crime and criminality.
Onovo stated this when he received in audience management of the Enugu State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, led by the Zonal Commander, Aniete Bassey Itim.
The visit to the former IGP, Ogbonnaya Onovo who has equally served as the Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the NDLEA during the Ibrahim Babangida regime is part of ongoing drive by the Enugu State Command of the NDLEA to engage critical stakeholders in the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA and drug trafficking.
The former Inspector General of Police took over the leadership of the Drug Agency from General Musa Bamaiyi.
While reliving fond memories of his days at the NDLEA, Ogbonnaya Onovo acknowledged enormous achievements so far recorded by the agency under the leadership of Buba Marwa.
He noted that with the deployment of technology, the NDLEA is winning the war against drug trafficking and maintained that with population growth and its attendant globalisation, there is bound to be exponential increase in drug-related crime adding that with multi-stakeholders collaboration, the drug menace could be nipped in the bud.
While making case for the improved welfare of personnel of the agency, Onovo who was the fifth Chairman of the NDLEA tasked officials to exhibit the highest form of integrity, transparency and accountability.
“ The agency has remained dynamic all these years and the level of performance has gotten to Zenith at this point in time with the appointment of the present chairman. During our time it was still a fledgling agency at the time we were there. And we were facing a lot of challenges, like on underfunding under-equipment, poor training capacity, and we were under-strength also with shortage of personnel and so on. But over the years, the agency has grown and they’re using a wide range of technology to fight crime and to fight the drug war. Now because these drugs and psychotropic substances, what remains the catalyst to criminal activities all over. But with what I’m seeing. I’m so proud of the agency now, with the leadership of General Buba Marwa, the agency has come of age and they have performed wonders. I want to use this opportunity to thank all the personnel for the good job they are doing for this country”.
“I tell you that with the increase of population, and the fact that the world has become a global village now, our people learn fast. So, with the situation as it is now, it will not be surprising that there is an increase in drug abuse, because it happens everywhere else in the world. But what I’m saying is that the NDLEA is fighting a very serious battle against it. I think NDLEA is winning. When you look at the interdictions made for the past one year, and you know, for sure that the agency is moving ahead. they perform wonders, I will not say, because I’m not in a position to know whether the number of addicts are increasing or decreasing. But from the activities of the agency, you will know that a great job has been done and is going on therefore I believe that in a short while, it will be brought to controllable levels. You cannot eradicate it completely. Not even in America that have all the resources they’ve not been able to eradicate it completely. It is a continuous war. And I think at the end of the day, teaching of culture of lawfulness in our schools, good parental upbringing of our children. I know that we will succeed at the end of the day.
“All of us, all hands must be on deck. Everywhere I go to, when I talk about community policing, I talk about partnership with stakeholders. And the first thing I tell them is to curtail their children’s excesses when it comes to drugs. Mkpurumiri is very prevalent in the east here. Because like I said, drugs may be catalyst to criminal activities. They smoke it, they drink it, they sneeze it before they go out for operations. So, if we as parents, if we as guardians, if we as stakeholders could come together and warn our, I think there will be a massive improvement. I’m an ambassador of the of the agency anywhere forever”.
Speaking on the purpose of the visit, the State Commander of the NDLEA, Aniete Bassey Idim said the drug is fought on two-pronged approaches which include; demand reduction and supply reduction approaches which he said has resulted to reduction of illicit drugs from circulation.
Bassey Idim disclosed that the agency will soon carry out public destruction of ceased exhibits adding that the NDLEA will continue to sustain its Campaign on drug abuse and trafficking to ensure a drug-free society.
“Well naturally as an agency operating in Enugu State and we have no less a personality like the former IG former CEO of the agency, it is not out of place for us to always come to benefit from the wealth of his experience, we will always come and he has promised us an open door that any time we need any advice or any intervention we can always come. That was why we are here.
“The drug war is fought on two main approaches; the drug demand reduction approach and the supply reduction approach. So, we do a lot of advocacy, we do a lot of public enlightenment sensitization on the demand reduction end and we also do supply reduction by interdiction, operations and seizure of drugs, prosecution and convictions”.
“We are looking towards the carrying the public destruction of our exhibits. Because already the storage is filled. This is as a direct result of the effective supply reduction. Because we have taken as much as possible out of circulation and there is need for us to publicly destroy them so that we let the public know now when we take it out, they are safe , that nothing has been tampered with . That is why we bring it publicly to let the public know that these things are safe.
“The visit will impact on the operations of the agency in so many ways”.
