The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday revealed that no fewer than 24 public schools in Akwa Ibom State have been identified as breeding grounds for the sales and usage of hard drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin
While speaking to newsmen in Uyo, the state commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mrs. Josephine Obi said that nine of the schools are primary while the rest are secondary.
Obi disclosed that the involvement of artisans and other ancillary workers in the usage of hard drugs, has posed a major challenge to the agency. She added that public schools in the state have being turned into hideout of criminals. Hence she charged the principals and headmasters of such schools to restore sanity back to their schools by reporting any suspicious movement to the agency.
Obi said, “What the cocaine and heroin dealers does is that they take over the schools premises after school hours and commence their recruitment by engaging the students in the distribution and sales of this drugs.
In fact we have sent a letter to the state commissioner for education attaching the list of this notorious schools and explaining the drug baron’s modus operandi for them to take immediate action and we will follow it up by continuous raiding of such schools to save the children.”