NDLEA custody not neccesarily punitive but reformative says Directorate

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday said that iits custody or detention facilities are not neccesarily punitive but serves as a place where drug users are kept for counselling and rehabilitation so as to wean them off drugs.

NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr FemI Babafemi, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the impact of orientation on drug users, said that in the wake of recurring cases of drug demand, the agency engages efforts in saving susceptible persons from drug addiction.

According to him, some drug users are merely victims adding that quite a number of factors are responsible for people who go into drug abuse with some of these reasons being socio economic,

He said that some who have no jobs often resort to drugs to get over their pressures, and the NDLEA work with relevant government agencies to ensure a rehabilitation of such persons.

"The custody or detention in itself is not neccesarily punitive, it is just a place where they are kept for counselling and rehabilitation

"Quite a number of factors are responsible for people going into drug abuse and some are socio economic, like some who have no jobs and they need drugs to get over their pressures,

"We work with relevant government agencies as well, for post rehabilitation; we also make sure that they are handed over to relevant agencies for possible empowerment.

"For instance, we visited Lagos state weeks ago with the chairman, then we met with the state governor and even went ahead to the rehabilitation center at Isheri, where we interacted with the officials.

"All of these are meant to take care of some of the ssues raised, so that we can work and partner with the state government and its agencies in a way that while we do our bids, we also need to get the state to work with us so that in case some of these people will need to be recued to face the future post rehabilitation, we can have the relevant government agencies to refer them.

"In essence, sometimes, some of the detention may not really be punitive in itself, but just to take care of them, kit them, rehabilitate them and reintergrate then back to society in a manner that they will be useful to themselves, their families and their communities," he said

Babafemi said that the NDLEA is working with relevant government agencies to do this, but however added, that the NDLEA may not have the means to empower rehabilitated drug users or provide them with the requisite skills or capital to begin something useful post rehabilitation.

According to him, that is the reason the agency works in partnership with other state government and other government agencies.that has this responsibility

He added that the NDLEA is also promoting the culture of drug testing to detect early enough, those who are already in the habit of abusing drugs.

He said that this will enable an early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation of such individuals, adding that there are already good feedbacks and reception from the public

"Just last week we signed a memorandum of understanding with a firm that is ready to supply NDLEA with test kits free of charge, to enable us do this across board and some government agencies and institutions are already inviting NDLEA for this," he said

Babafemi said that in some cases, suspects who are arrested in the streets with insignificant volumes of drugs, are often not prosecuted but taken in for counselling

In the same vein, an NDLEA prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, said there is a distinction between drug users in custody of the NDLEA and those who have left its custody

He said that for those in NDLEA custody the agency carries out rehabilitation and counselling.

*Apart from those charged to court, there is a unit that deals with that department which is the Drug Demand Reduction Unit (DDR).

"Before people are even prosecuted or arrested at all, that same department goes out for public enlightenment in schools, in churches, or in work places on demand.

"Where such people leave NDLEA and are on remand or are convicted, that becomes a complete function of the Nigeria correctional service," he said

According to him once a suspect is charged, remanded in custody or convicted by the court the NDLEA no longer has any role to play.