Osun State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has appealed for collaboration from members of the public in its bid to stop illicit drug use.
The appeal was made by Ganiyu Adeloye, the NDLEA Assistant State Commander while addressing the members of the Osun Command of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service, NHFSS, on Monday in Osogbo.
At the workshop organised by the leadership of the Service, Adeloye lamented that some places in Ilesa town have been deliberately made inaccessible by cultivators of Indian hemp.
He also charged the hunters to support the agency in ridding the state of illicit drug cultivation.
According to him, “Osun is currently ranked second in Indian hemp cultivation in the South West. We call for the support of hunters in the area of intelligence that could lead to the arrest and seizure of illicit drugs.
“Good knowledge of various hidden routes and the almost ubiquitous presence of hunters across the state have made members of the group worthy partners for the NDLEA. We urge you to be good examples to residents by refraining from illicit drug use.
“If we give no room for people to take hard drugs, there will be a drastic reduction in criminal activities and other vices in our society.
“That is why we implore the hunters to always report criminal activities to us since they are always privy to information in their various localities and they also know all the nooks and crannies of various communities than the NDLEA officers.
“Hunters have access to information in minutes, which we cannot see in three or four years. It is sad to announce to you that Osun State has been ranked second among states that cultivate Indian hemp in the South West.
“It is a sad thing because nearly all states in Nigeria have airports but Osun cannot boast of its airport, but was ranked second in hemp cultivation and I know our mothers and fathers in the communities are aware of this development because they are the ones giving them land on which they cultivate it.
“You lease your farmland to the highest bidder because they offer the highest amount compared to someone who wants to cultivate food crops. The money offered to you would not allow you to ask for what they want to cultivate. I heard some people are even providing security for Indian Hemp farms.”
Adeleye revealed that any farmland that has been used to cultivate Indian hemp cannot be good for any other crop again until after 15 years.
“The perpetrators would have harvested their produce and used the proceeds to better their lives and that of their community while they would have desecrated our land,” he said.
In his welcome address, the Osun State Commander of NHFSS, Nureni Ahmed, said the group organised the workshop to discuss areas of collaboration between the two organisations due to rising crime rates across the state.
He also expressed the readiness of NHFSS to support NDLEA in its fight against illicit drug business in the state.
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