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Drug crimes on the rise in FCT

By Terkula Igidi & Seun Adeuyi

Drug related crimes are rising steadily in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with an increase of over a 100 per cent in the last five years, there are fears that the seat of power may just be one of the drug’s hubs in the country.

City News investigations revealed that the (FCT) command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had arrested 1,403 suspects for drugs related offences in the period under review.

Data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics showed a disproportionate increase in the number of arrests, which invariably meant drug trafficking and other related activities were on the rise from 2010 and 2014.

The NDLEA recorded the highest arrests in 2014, with 425 suspects, a figure which only Katsina (609), Kano (503), Bauchi (471) and Lagos (434), surpassed that year.

According to NBS, the agency arrested 425 suspects (411 males and 15 females), which almost doubled the 285 suspects arrested in 2013.

Analysis of the report showed that in 2011 258 (249 males and 9 females) were brought to book, while the agency recorded 254 arrests in 2013.

The report also indicated that in 2010, the agency arrested 181 suspects (all males) of illegal drugs being the least number of suspects intercepted over the referenced period.

With the rate of increase in the last five years, there is every likelihood that 2015 will also record a figure higher than 2014.