By Brave Dickson
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Rivers State Command has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for closing Nigerian land borders, saying that such a move will help reduce the trafficking of illicit drugs in the country.
The state Public Relations Officer of NDLEA, Mr Emmanuel Ogbumgbada told our correspondent that Nigeria was once blacklisted as a country of high illicit drugs when countries like Brazil and others were transporting drugs to Europe through Nigerian borders.
He said: “Border closure will help to reduce illicit drug trading and consumption in Nigeria. Because drugs come in through illegal means called smuggling.
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“If the border is closed and there is no free passage, then it will be difficult for a lot of drugs to come into the country. We know a lot of modes of concealment through which they bring in drugs.
“Since the government had closed the border, it should also think of closing other alternative routes called loopholes by increasing the manpower strength of security agencies.
“Before now, Nigeria used to be a transit country for drugs. And that was when it was very difficult for drugs to move from some countries like Brazil to Europe and America.
“These South American countries where drugs are produced used to pass these drugs to other countries through Nigeria because it was easier for them to pass through Nigeria.
“Nigeria was blacklisted as a high drug country when most of those dealers ferrying drug were arrested in Nigeria.
“Some drugs became trapped in Nigeria when the foreign drug traffickers could no longer transport these drugs to Europe.
“Because the dealers had to recover their money, they began to sell these trapped drugs in Nigeria. So that is how Nigeria became a drug consuming nation.
“But good a thing that President Muhammadu Buhari had taken the lead by letting us know that it is possible to close our borders and make it very difficult for illegal substances to come into this country.”
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