By Emelayo Nwosu
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Imo State Command, has fixed Saturday for the public destruction of siezed narcotics in the state.
Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodinma on Narcotics and Illicit Drug Monitoring, Chief Ezechukwu Obonna stated this in release obtained by Anchor Reporters.
Obonna said the event would be “a watershed moment in the fight
against narcotics.”
He said it is the first the NDLEA would be destroying illicit drugs since it began operations in Imo State.
“For the very first time since the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency commenced operations in our state, the NDLEA Imo State Command will carry out the open, public destruction of seized drug exhibits,” he said.
He added that the planned destruction of narcotics is not a routine administrative act but a declaration of the state government’s resolve to tackle the scourge squarly.
“It is a declaration that Imo State will no longer be a transit point, a market, or a hiding place for the merchants of death who profit from the destruction of our youth.
“It is a declaration that evidence will not gather dust in storage, and that justice will not be hidden behind closed doors.
“And it is a declaration that under the leadership of His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, the war on drugs has moved from rhetoric to resolute action.”
Pointing out that timing of the event meant a lot in the fight against illicit drugs and narcotics, Obonna said it was a reflection of the governor’s resolve to tackle the menace headl-on.
“This historic exercise is happening now, in the time of Senator Hope Uzodimma.
“That is not accidental. It is the direct result of political will that has been absent for too long.
“From day one, Governor Uzodimma recognized a truth others avoided: you cannot defeat violent crime, kidnapping, cultism, and armed robbery without first confronting the drug epidemic that fuels them.”
He said it was in line with the Governor Uzodinma’s resolve to erase drugs in the state that he took decisive actions on it, including the appointment of a special adviser on narcotics.
“That is why Imo State became the first in the Southeast to appoint a Special Adviser on Narcotics and Illicit Drugs Monitoring.
“That is why we established the Ministry of Youth Development and Talent Hunt—to pull our young people out of idleness and into purpose.
“That is why, through the Skill Up Imo program under the Ministry of Digital Economy, thousands of youths are now engaged in digital skills and innovation, building futures instead of chasing poison.”
According to Chief Obonna, these actions created the environment where enforcement can succeed and where the NDLEA can operate with backing, not obstruction, with siezures followed by public accountability.
While commending the officers and men of the NDLEA Imo State Command, Obonna noted that what they siezed and would be destroyed “on 20th June represents lives saved, families preserved, and communities protected.”
He further said: “you have confronted danger so that others may live in safety.
“The people of Imo State see your sacrifice, and this government stands firmly behind you.”
Warning drug traffickers, dealers, and their collaborators, Obonna declared that the era of tolerance and compromises was over.
“Imo State, under Governor Hope Uzodimma, has zero tolerance for your trade.
“Every seizure will be followed by prosecution.
“Every exhibit will be destroyed in the open, for the public to see that your criminal enterprise ends here.”
Reminding the youth of the government’s investments in them, Obonna advised them to take advantage of the opportunities government is creating for them.
“We are opening doors in technology, talent, and enterprise so that no young person feels they must turn to drugs or crime to survive.
“Reject the lie that narcotics offer a shortcut. The only future worth building is the one you build clean, lawful, and free.”
He said the destruction of the narcotics would also represent erasing of of fear, silence, and complacency as well as mark the day Imo State drew a line against all those connected with the scourge in the state.
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