Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has challenged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other stakeholders responsible for the war against drug abuse and trafficking to start the battle from the home front.
The UNODC position was contained in a speech delivered by its representative, Mr William Wu, at a one-day national summit organised by the National Association of Nigeria Drug Monitoring and held at the National Assembly yesterday.
Wu said homes remained the best place to fight and curb the drug abuse scourge. He noted that if there was zero tolerance for drug consumption and abuse by children in all homes, traffickers would not emerge in society.
He added that the summit was a proactive step by the stakeholders in curbing crime in Nigeria.
“This summit of fighters against drug abuse and trafficking is very apt and proactive. The homes should be used as starting points for waging war against the menace through responsible parenting for children by parents,” Wu explained. “The act upon which the NDLEA is prosecuting the war against drug abuse and trafficking should be reviewed by making provision for more stringent measures and punishment for the crime.”
According to him, UNODC will continue to partner with relevant stakeholders in Nigeria to curb the menace technically and technologically.
NDLEA Secretary, Shadrack Haruna, agreed with the UNODC representative that the fight should not be left to the agency or government alone.
“Concerted efforts should be made right from the home fronts to fight the war,” said Haruna. “NDLEA is trying its best to rid the Nigerian society of drug addicts and traffickers who, going by realities on the ground, constitute the largest percentage of criminals in the society.”
The Comptroller General of Nigeria Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, represented by Yakubu Sylvanus, said between 70 and 77 per cent of inmates were involved in drug-related cases.
