One Million Nigerians in Foreign Prison Over Drug Offences—–NDLEA

Some one million Nigerian men and women are
said to be serving various prison sentences over
illicit drug offences in foreign countries across the
world.
In Thailand and Indonesia alone, 16 Nigerians
might be killed according to the law of these two
countries, which prescribe death penalty to
trafficking in hard drug.
This is contained in the latest suspect's audit
report for the year, 2013, by the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The report which is an annual document by all
countries to the United Nations (UN) drug
prevention and Eradication Agency, also stated that
the number of Nigerians with hard drug-related
offences in Chinese prison alone stands at 378,
while Nigerians with drug-related cases in United
Kingdom prison is put at 481, the report stated.
The report was exclusively obtained from a top
official of the NDLEA by our correspondent.
It was gathered that the fate of all these Nigerians
may be in the balance as Nigerian government had
said it would no longer appeal for clemency on
behalf of any Nigerian found guilty of such offences
abroad.
The government's position was announced by the
office of Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, at an event to mark the 2013
International Day against drug abuse and illicit drug
trafficking in Abuja recently.
An aide had said while government will continue to
support law-abiding Nigerians, drug traffickers will
not be assisted by the government because they
are fully aware of the consequences of their
actions.
He advised Nigerians to seek ways of earning an
honest living even as the government continues to
work towards providing the adequate environment
for them to thrive, to avoid falling into that state of
hopelessness.
The Senate President, David Mark, also recently
declared the nation's upper legislature will not
intervene in cases of Nigerians found guilty of
criminal activities in foreign countries. He however
said that the government would not allow any
Nigerian to be unfairly treated in foreign nations.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the country
representative at the United Nations office on drug
and crimes, the Director General of National
Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) and the Executive Secretary of
NAPTIP, school children and Nigerians drawn from
different walks of life were reportedly present at
the event.
Although the year under review indicates that
3,028 persons have been arrested for drug
trafficking and about 66.273kilograms of illicit
drugs confiscated, what has become more
worrisome is the increasing level of the use of
hard drugs in Nigeria, which is also regarded as a
transit country.
Experts say there is the need to shift from supply
suppression to demand reduction as statistics
indicate that the use of hard drugs in Nigeria is
growing at an increasing rate.
With these alarming statistics, the NDLEA is
evolving strategies that will go beyond the
enforcement of laws guarding against the abuse
and illicit trafficking of drugs to preventive
measures that will curtail the urge for use and
trading, especially amongst young Nigerians.
And for those who dare to traffic these drugs
outside the shores of the country, the federal
government warns that it will not be drawn into
negotiations for clemency on their behalf.
Report by Simpa Samsons
Simpa Saint Samsons