By Victor Akan
The Imo Government says it will collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Police to fight the rising menace of illicit drug peddling and abuse in the state.
The Special Adviser to Gov. Hope Uzodinma on Narcotics and Illicit Drugs Monitoring, Chief Ezechukwu Obonna, said this on Monday in Owerri.
He spoke when he paid a working visit to the state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, and State Commander of NDLEA, Mr Abdullahi Saeed.
Obonna said that following the successes recorded with a reduction in the demand for illicit drug through awareness campaigns and programmes, the State Government would focus its energies on the reduction of supply chain of the drugs.
He said that to achieve this, he would embrace effective collaboration with relevant security agencies to cut off all illicit drug supply routes and hotspots.
“This may involve the setting up of a rapid response team aimed at monitoring the peddling, circulation and usage of illicit drugs in the state.
“The rapid response team will work in synergy with my office, leveraging the support of relevant security agencies to achieve set objectives,” Obonna said.
In a remark, the commissioner of police expressed his command’s readiness to collaborate effectively with the State Government to forge efficient synergy to better combat drug abuse and trafficking in Imo.
Also, the NDLEA commander thanked the governor for appointing Obonna, describing him as “a partner in progress”.
“This development is seen as a significant step toward tackling illicit drug menace in Imo and fighting insecurity, so we are optimistic about the positive impact of this collaboration,” the commander said.
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