Brave Dickson
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Rivers State Command has made a total seizure of 49.094Kg of hard drugs between January to April this year.
Information available to our correspondent through the State NDLEA Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ogbumgbada said the following were also achieved by the command during the period under review.
Arrest:
“Male-33
Female-16
Total-49
Conviction:
One drug offender at a federal high court in Port.
Rehabilitation:
Nine drug dependent persons were successfully rehabilitated and discharged back to their families.
NDLEA PRO maintained that the State Commander Amb. Rachael Shelleng, while wishing Nigerian workers drug free lives on the occasion of this year’s workers day celebration, also issued a stern warning to drug offenders to desist from such acts as NDLEA will stop at nothing to fish them out and make them face the full wrath of the law.
The establishment of NDLEA by the promulgation of Degree Number 48 of 1989, now Act of Parliament was aimed at eliminating illicit drugs trafficking and consumption in the country.
The Command is also vested with the powers to exterminate the growing, processing, manufacturing as well as importing and exporting of hard drugs including the arrest and prosecution of drug offenders in Nigeria.
NDLEA Vision:
To become the most proactive and leading Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Africa and one of the best in the world through the provision of effective and efficient services to Nigerians by cutting off the supply of illicit drugs, reducing the demand for illicit drugs and other substances of abuse, tracing and recovering drug -related proceeds and contributing to the creation and maintenance of an enviable image for the country throughout the globe.
NDLEA Mission:
The command shall deploy all resources at its disposal for the total eradication of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; suppression of demand for illicit drugs and other substances of abuse; recovery of ill-gotten wealth, acquired from proceeds of illicit drug trade.
The NDLEA Act also empowers the command to forfeit assets of persons arrested for offenses under the Act via the below sections:
34. Investigation of assets and properties of persons arrested for an offence under this Act
35. Disclosure of assets and properties by an arrested person, etc.
36. Interim forfeiture order.
37. Final order
38. Final disposal of forfeited property
39. Offences in relation to forfeiture orders
40. Consequence of an acquittal in respect of assets and properties
41. Power to search, seize and arrest
42. Freezing order on banks
43. Application of Act to certain persons.
