NDLEA Functions, History & Achievements… Roles And Activities Of Nigeria’s Drug Law Enforcement Agency

NDLEA Functions, History & Achievements… Roles And Activities Of Nigeria’s Drug Law Enforcement Agency

“The spoils from a shipwreck leaves a damage that can be hard to repair or salvage “.

This reference is applicable to the illicit use of drugs that is in fact detrimental to the mental health of a person which can bring about unfavorable effect that can be hard to heal .

Drugs administered on one’s self without a recommended prescription from a certified doctor is very bad and can also be termed as drug abuse.

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Most of these drugs used wrongly are drugs which contains highly concentrated chemical substances which are very harmful to the mental or general health of a person as the case may be.

This article is not about drug abuse but it is necessary as it is a link to the existence of the NDLEA.

In Nigeria, the issue of drug abuse is becoming a major topic for discussion and also the trafficking and smuggling of hard drugs within and outside the country.

Due to this contaminating menace in the country , the NDLEA had to be established.

The NDLEA was established in other to curb or eradicate the smuggling, trafficking or use of drugs that is harmful to the health of the citizens in the country.

NDLEA can be defined as an organization backed up by law and vested with the responsibility to ensure that drugs that are considered harmful are destroyed and offenders caught in the act of selling such drugs or bringing it illegally to the country are greatly punished.

when was ndlea established

NDLEA as an organization by the federal government was established in the year 1990.

Nigeria in the time past has been known to be the largest producer of cannabis in Africa.

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Geographically speaking, the Southwest region in Nigeria as being reported by the NDLEA to be the major place for the production of illicit drugs in the country.

The NDLEA is charged majorly with the responsibility of putting an end to the widespread of drug trafficking in the country.

As a law enforcement agency, the NDLEA ensures that traffickers of hard drugs in the country are brought to book.

The NDLEA cannot just exist for the sake of existing. It must have specific roles/functions to perform to give credit for its existence.

FUNCTIONS OF NDLEA IN NIGERIA

1.It helps to eradicate the smuggling, trafficking and use of hard drugs in the country.

2.It helps to curb the widespread of illicit drugs in the country.

3.It ensures that drugs brought into the country illegally and suspected of being harmful are confiscated and destroyed.

4.It collaborates with other agencies in its field to ensure that offenders of drug trafficking and smuggling are greatly punished.

5.It ensures that money suspected to be gotten from the trafficking or smuggling of hard drugs are seized without warning.

6.The organization conducts thorough investigation on suspected drug dealers in the country and helps to cripple their activities by imposing strict laws to cut off their source of supply.

7.It also helps in creating awareness to the teeming youths on the dangers hard drugs pose to their health.

8.It ensures that the image of the country is enhanced, protected and maintained as well as that of Nigerians within and outside the country.

9.The NDLEA helps to reduce the inflow and outflow of illicit drugs.

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The National drug law enforcement agency is a very important organization in the country in the fight against drug trafficking.

Presently, the issue of drug abuse is gaining momentum and it is eating deep into the foundation of the society.

Drugs produced for the right means are now used wrongly by people for unworthy purposes.

And as a result getting addicted to such drugs which can affect one’s health drastically.

NDLEA plays a key role in rehabilitation.

ROLE OF NDLEA IN REHABILITATION

• It provides rehabilitation facilities that helps in the recuperation of the affected victims of drug abuse or those addicted to hard drugs.
• It helps to monitor the progress of the said victims and ensure that they don’t fall back into a relapse.
• It teams up with foreign practitioners to help bring light where darkness treads in the minds of the drug abused or drug addicted victims.

.It helps to provide fruitful opportunities for the victims in other for them to lead a normal life.

.It ensures that drugs suspected of containing hard chemical substance that are being sold in pharmacy or in any other drug related store are destroyed so as to reduce the sales of such drugs.

.Another vital role of the NDLEA is to bring awareness to the teeming youths on the consequences of using drugs illegally.

The NDLEA and NAFDAC are both targeted at ensuring that drugs suspected of being harmful to the teeming population are destroyed.

They are both aimed at regulating the control of illicit drugs in the country.

There is also a great difference between NDLEA and NAFDAC

CONFLICTING ROLES OF NDLEA AND NAFDAC.

The NDLEA major role is aimed at eradicating the smuggling , trafficking and use of illicit drugs in the country while NAFDAC main focus is to control the manufacture, distribution, importation, exportation, sale and use of drugs, food, bottled water, etc.

The agency deals with the elimination of hard drugs while NAFDAC deals with the elimination of counterfeit drugs.

It helps to curb the use or production of hard drugs /illicit drugs in the country while NAFDAC helps to curtail illicit and counterfeit products in the country.

NDLEA thrive on enhancing, protecting and maintaining the public image of the country and that of Nigerians within and outside the country while NAFDAC ensures that the health of the citizens in the country is safeguarded.

The body ensures that money gotten from the sales of illicit drugs are recovered while NAFDAC deals with the registration of food, drugs, bottled water, etc.

The current NDLEA chairman is Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdullah rtd who succeeded from the former chairman Alhaji Ahmadu Giade in the year 2015.

The NDLEA has made a lot of achievements in the fight against the trafficking, smuggling, and use of hard drugs in the country.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF NDLEA

The NDLEA recently reported the seizure of Tramadol which is currently the growing menace in the country.

In Ondo state, the NDLEA reported to have destroyed 110.5 tons of drugs making it the second largest since the destruction of drugs in Edo state which weighed 136 tons.

The NDLEA have also reported to burn 6.1 tons of drugs in Jigawa state commending the state governor for counter-drug measures.

The NDLEA has also arrested large numbers of drug barons and traffickers in the country.

The NDLEA has recovered huge amount of money from the sales of illicit drugs and the money is being channeled into good use to benefit the country immensely.

The NDLEA has helped greatly to combat the illicit use of drugs in the country.

In recent times , the NDLEA has also been credited with lots of achievements all relating to the effective and efficient administration of its duties in the fight against smuggling, production, trafficking and use of hard drugs in the country.

The NDLEA main headquarters is located in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The NDLEA comprises of various departments that ensures that operations within the organization are smoothly carried out.

These departments includes:

• Department of drug demand reduction
• Department of technical
• Department of general investigations and operations.
• Department of financial investigation and assets.
• Department of training and manpower development.

It has been an issue of great concern the illicit use of drugs in the country.

The growing of narcotics in the country is like an engulfing flame spreading its wings without restraint and it has been a source of nagging headache to the NDLEA.

It is said that there are huge financial gains from the sales of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin and other narcotics and this has lead to the increase in the trafficking and smuggling of such illicit drugs.

The NDLEA enforces laws that prevents the production, trafficking, smuggling and use of illicit drugs in the country.

Most of these illicit drugs when produced wasn’t meant to cause any distortion health wise but the high use of such drugs made it a cause of worry as it produces unfavorable results which can later affect the person negatively and in such case results to mental illness.

All hands on deck is the right approach to adopt when it comes to fighting this illicit drugs activities in the country.

It is outright sad and frightening to see the damage the continuous use of illicit drugs can do to a person mental health.

The traffickers of this drugs don’t take into consideration the harm such drugs can inflict on a person’s mental health.

They are only concerned about their pockets, the huge money that would be derived once sales is done .

This is the reason why the NDLEA has made it their main object of focus to extirpate the drug trafficking and smuggling menace in the country.

In conclusion, this article is mainly centered on the roles, achievements and other important details of NDLEA in Nigeria.