NDLEA secures 68 convictions, rehabilitates 12 in Akwa Ibom

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Akwa Ibom Command, says it secured 68 convictions and rehabilitated 12 persons in 2023.

The State Commander of the agency, Mrs Obot Bassey, made this disclosure at a news briefing in Uyo on Tuesday.

According to her, the command, during the period, arrested 195 suspects, comprising 159 males and 36 females and seized drugs weighing 1, 267.24kg, adding that that the command counseled 278 people, comprising 263 males and 15 females during the period.

“During the period under review, we secured 68 convictions and all of them are serving various jail terms in our custodial centres.

“Compared with the statistics of 2022, it is obvious that the command made a better achievement in 2023,” Bassey said.

She added that the state had been identified “mostly as a consumer/transit state with drug dealers striving to litter the streets with illicit drugs”.

The agency, she said, will continue to collaborate with sister agencies in the state to fight drug menace to the barest.

“The success recorded by the command in 2023 was made possible by the grace of God and the brave efforts of the officers and men of the command.

“The command is still faced with challenges, including the need for operational vehicles to effectively and efficiently cover the 31 Local Government Areas of the State,” she said.

NDLEA secures 68 convictions, rehabilitates 12 in Akwa Ibom