The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that it arrested not fewer than 243 drugs abusers in Gombe state from March last year to date.
State commander of the agency Mrs Sylvia Egwunwoke made the disclosure Tuesday in an interview with our correspondent in her office where she explained that of the arrested suspects, 224 were males and 19 were females abusers.
She revealed that Gombe has the highest prevalence of drugs abuse in the north east adding that about 17 per cent of the state population are into drugs addiction.
“The prevalence of drugs usage in this state is quite high, is the highest in the north east. It is about 17 per cent of the population.
“Since I took over, I came with the zeal and the mandate to sanitize this great state. When I took over till now, the command has arrested 243 suspects comprising of 224 males and 19 females”. She said.
The NDLEA commander noted that parts of their efforts to tackle illicit drugs usage in the state are prosecuting the traffickers and rehabilitating the users through counseling and treatment.
According to her, some parents bring their children willingly who are addicted to drugs to the rehabilitation centre of the agency assuring that they are capable of transforming them within few months.
Sylvia therefore warned patent medicine stores against selling psychotropic substances pointing out that only pharmaceutical companies are licensed to sell them with prescriptions from hospitals.
“They are not licensed to sell psychotropic substances. They can sell paracetamol, they can sell malaria tablets. But these ones, the law is saying they should not sell except the pharmacists. So you cannot even take your prescription from the hospital and walk into patent medicine stores”. The NDLEA commander cautioned.
