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COVID-19 lockdown, restrictions have increased cases of drug addiction –NDLEA
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared that the imposition of COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions had increased cases of drug addiction across the country.
This was revealed on Tuesday by the NDLEA Chief Executive, Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah who stated that the experimentation of newer concoctions and self-mediation by drug addicts has been on the increase.
Abdallah who gave the information during a virtual meeting/press conference in commemoration of the 2020 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking also added that 9,444 persons were arrested for drug-related offences in 2019 and 1,195 convicted; while 795 drug dependent persons were counselled.
He said; “In the light of the prevailing atmosphere of COVID-19, drug dependent persons are more acutely at risk because of their usually attendant underlying health issues, social stigmatization, and the death of access to health care.
READ ALSO: NDLEA arrests notorious drug dealer in Sokoto
“Making matters worse is the fact that the front burner currently is the exclusive pressure of COVID-19, other matters less so,” Abdallah added.
This came weeks after NDLEA said it had dismantled a clandestine laboratory, where hashish oil, a derivative from Cannabis sativa, was produced in Lagos.
The agency stated this in a statement by its Principal Staff Officer, Public Affairs, Jonah Achema, in Abuja.
NDLEA added that it arrested the suspected owner of the laboratory, Oladapo Ifedayo Oluseyi Adedayo.
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