Drug Abuse: No Drug Rehabilitation Center in Taraba – NDLEA Raises Alarm

 

The Taraba State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised concern over the absence of a drug rehabilitation center in the state, describing it as a major setback in the fight against drug abuse.

 

State Commander Ali Obadiah Umar disclosed this during a press briefing held in Jalingo to mark the grand finale of the 2025 United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

 

He highlighted key challenges facing the command, including the lack of adequate office space, poor logistics, and limited operational vehicles. According to him, the entire command—including five area offices and outposts across the state's sixteen local government areas—operates with only three functional vehicles.

 

Between June 2024 and June 2025, the command arrested a total of 353 suspected drug traffickers, including 18 females.

 

This year's global theme for the UN Day is "The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention", with the slogan "Break the Cycle, Stop Organised Crime."

 

Commander Umar also revealed that the command seized over 1,275 kilograms of various hard drugs—including cannabis sativa and psychotropic substances—and destroyed about 30 hectares of cannabis farms in areas such as Gembu, Yorro, Ibi, Zing, Takum, Kurmi, Ardo Kola, and Karim Lamido.

 

In addition, 70 litres of codeine-based cough syrup were intercepted, while another 385 kilograms of assorted drugs were seized in an abandoned operation.

 

The command secured 53 convictions at the Federal High Court, Jalingo, within the year under review, with several other cases still pending.

 

While expressing appreciation to the Chairman of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), Commander Umar appealed to both the Federal Government and the Taraba State Government, led by Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas, to urgently support the agency's efforts with better infrastructure and rehabilitation facilities.

 

Also speaking at the event, the Commander of the Nigerian Army's 6 Brigade and Sector Three, Operation Whirl Stroke, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, reaffirmed the military's commitment to collaborating with the NDLEA in combating drug abuse and trafficking in the state.