The Kwara state command of National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), on Thursday said it has arrested a drug kingpin identified as Mr Chukwuemeka Johnson, who was a major dealer of cannabis in the state and has been on the wanted list of the command since 2017.
The new state commander of NDLEA, Mr. Umoru Ambrose, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the agency’s Headquarters in Ilorin, Kwara state.
He said the agency have recorded some landmark achievements in recent time under “Operation Keep Kwara Drug Free”, just as it aims to stem the tide of cannabis abuse among the youth in the state.
“Most importantly, the arrested of one Mr. Chukwuemeka Odeh Okewu Johnson, alias ‘Chuks’ who has been on the wanted list of the Command since 2017. Chukwuemeka was first arrested by the command in 1994, before the Command later located another drug warehouse which it confirmed belonged to him again in 2017.
“Total numbers of 396 bags of cannabis weighing 4,356 kilograms were recovered in that warehouse and Chukwuemeka had been on the wanted list of the command since then and was finally apprehended in recent time.
“The agency also arrested some young guys who claimed to be students of University of Ilorin and Kwara State University, KWASU, at Tanke and Malete respectively, and their parents had visited the command Headquarters at Ilorin for identification,” Ambrose said.
He added that, “many of the arrested students had been released to their parents after passing through treatment, counselling and rehabilitation at the state command under the new programme called “Know Your Child Status” while few of them are still undergoing rehabilitation at the state command.”
He, however, appealed to the present government in the state and wealthy individuals to support the efforts of the NDLEA in bringing the scourge of drug abuse to an end in the state.