The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency has brought to the notice of the general public about the circulation of an illicit drug within the country.
The agency's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Muhammed Abdallah, said Ofoyeju, has vowed that the NDLEA will arrest the spread of Khat in the country.
He explained that the NDLEA boss has called onthe members of the public to be aware of the development, stressing that the agency is prepared to stop all illegal importation, production and exportation of illicit drugs into orout of the country.
Khat, added Ofoyeju, is a stimulant flowering shrub grown mainly in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula.
The plant, which is known as Catha Edulis, he said, contains two alkaloids, cathinone and cathine, that act as stimulants.He informed that when Khat leaves are chewed like tobacco, they produce mild euphoria akin to the effect produced by cocaine and amphetamine.
To curb its spread in Nigeria, Mr. Ofoyeju said the NDLEA boss has ordered the sensitization ofall the agency's officers at all borders to the threat the drug poses.
The agency's spokesman further informed that Mr. Abdallah has ordered the NDLEA special Investigation Assignment Unit to ensure that courier companies do not smuggle the drug into the country. “Officers at all border points, airports and seaports are being sensitised on new trends."In addition, operatives at the Special Investigation Assignment Unit are also working very hard to prevent the use of courier companies in smuggling Khat and other narcotics into the country," Mr. Ofoyeju quoted the NDLEA boss as saying.He added that Mr. Abdullah has urged all stakeholders to unite against drug trafficking cartels and work towards a crime free-society because drug runners are only concerned about their illicit returns, not the society's welfare.
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