The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that it has set up a special task force to tackle drug dealers behind the production and distribution of crystal meth alias ‘mkpuru mmiri’.

This was made known by the Chairman, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) on Monday, January 24, 2022 during a press briefing at the Agency’s headquarter in Abuja to mark his one year in office.

‘Mkpuru mmiri’ has been abused by Nigerian youths especially in south eastern states. Some communities had set up an internal taskforce to curtail the sale and use of the hard drug.

In his speech, Marwa commended south east communities who have embarked on campaigns against drug use.

A statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, quoted Marwa as saying in part;

“We have the preponderance of the drug dealers from the South East, but what more do you have; the greatest efforts by communities to rid the country and their communities of drug use is from the South East. Clearly, in the same South East, they are doing two things; first, they are telling their fellow travellers who are not decent, that look you are the very few who are spoiling our names here. Stop it!

And more importantly, they are riding their communities of drug abuse; they have taken the ownership of the war themselves against drug abuse especially the Mkpuru-Mmiri. By the way, we have set up a special task force to face that challenge and very soon you would hear and see the results of our efforts.

This war has to start from the bottom, from the communities; set up your War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, Committees.  In every community, you are the ones who know those patent medicine stores that sell drugs, the mai shayi, those at the corner ends of the streets who sell and hawk drugs, you know the traffickers and you know those who use them.

Take this war to your communities because you know these people, cleanse your communities, and take the ownership of this war and the NDLEA will always be there to back you up. However, the NDLEA does not and will not support the flogging of the culprits and some of the other human rights abuses. We will be there to support with counselling and treatments.

And I urge the entire country to take an example of the ownership of the war against drug abuse from the South East.”

The NDLEA boss assured that the Agency will remain committed to its mandate of ensuring that Nigeria becomes a drug free country.