The Katsina state command of the national drugs law enforcement says it has seized over 1.6 million tons of cannabis in the last year.
The volume of the seizure gives a clearer picture of the magnitude of the drug problem on Nigeria and how authorities are working to address it.
The new strategy adopted by the command to disrupt the chain of supply and demand of cannabis, in parts of Katsina state, is working.
Already the command has arrested 869 people in connection with drug peddling and use.
Similarly, the command has secured the conviction of 34 cases and still pursuing 61 in the court.
Katsina state in the last few years has witnessed an increase in drug abuse cases among youth and students of tertiary institutions.
It is why the command has increased its campaigns to schools to educate the students on the effects of drugs.
The command is equally recording successes in the area of rehabilitating addicts
The annual briefing this year also featured the presentation of gifts to best-performing schools in the quiz and other competitions organized by the command.
Goodwill messages were also presented by some senior indigenes of the state who reiterated support for the command.
Some student organizations also acknowledged the performance of the command and pledged their support to the drug campaign.
The NDLEA has in the last year ramped up its war on Drugs and Drug Barons with arrests, seizures and destruction of record volume of drugs including the largest seizure of cocaine ever recorded in the history of Nigeria worth over 100 billion Naira.
Though Cannabis still remains the number one illicit drug in circulation in Nigeria and this is the latest example of how massive the quantity of Cannabis in circulation on the streets across Nigeria is considering that this is only for Katsina State.
