Mr Usman Idris, the Principal Staff Officer Drug Demand Reduction at the? National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says? Nigeria needs stiffer penalties against hard drugs.
Delivering a paper at a symposium entitled: “The menace of hard drugs, its causes, effects and remedies” on Friday in Osogbo, he said the fight against traffickers needed to be supported by strong political will.
According to him, adequate funding of the agency will complement the right laws to tackle the intractable problem of hard drugs.
He lauded the Federal Government for establishing the agency, saying it had discharged its rsponsibilities in all drug related cases including money laundering.
“This is with a view to bring culprits to book and in conjunction with other security agencies, maintain security checks in the sea and land borders of the country.”
The NDLEA boss, however, stressed the need for the Federal Government to cooperate and collaborate with other nations, to check the menace.
Idris noted that empowering the youth would discourage them from indulging in drug trafficking.
According to him, prudent management of national resources can lead to job creation, improved infrastructure and provision of essential services as the youth’s involvement in drug related offences stemmed from many socio-economic problems.
The symposium was organised by Pacesetters Forum International (PFI) in conjunction with the NDLEA.?