THE President-General of Ughelli Descendants Union (UDU), Olorogun Sam Akpimegi, has commended the Nigeria Police for its fight against the sale and intake of hard drugs.
He gave the commendation in his office, recounting the recent strides by the Ughelli Area Command, which apprehended suspected drug barons, kidnappers and armed robbers who were paraded by the Delta State Police Command.
According to him, “we have been having the challenge of illicit drugs and insecurity,. I had an audience with the Ughelli Area Commander regarding this, particularly illicit drugs.
“Hard drugs kill; they destroy not only the youths but elderly people as well, all in the name of feeling high.”
On the parade of a suspected female drug baron, Olorogun Akpimegi disclosed that the woman was stubborn despite several warnings.
“The very lady that was paraded, I called her attention and that of her husband and I advised them. I thought she had quit the business, not until I was informed of her arrest at Afiesere community.
“The truth is that the dealers in these hard drugs are wicked to themselves and to society at large. Both the seller and the consumer are committing the same crime.”
Speaking further, he explained that “for over eight months, I and the local security (Bakassi) have been on this journey, arresting and handing over suspects to the NDLEA, but some of them come back after paying bribes and they even boasted to us that they are untouchable.”
“The issue is pathetic to me as an individual and as President-General. I want the best for my kingdom, Ughelli, and Delta State at large, because if it is not given proper attention, we may not have youths to lead, and there will be no leaders for tomorrow.”
He noted that their fight was not personal but for the greater good. “The fact remains that we are not fighting individuals; we are fighting for the betterment of our children and youths. I want to commend the support of the local government chairman, the traditional ruler of the Great Ughelli Kingdom, and the Area Commander, with whom we are working in synergy to curb the issue of drugs in Ughelli.”
Continuing, he recalled, “When we started the fight against hard drugs, we arrested five persons in one of the communities, one lady, three men, and a consumer who led us to where he bought the drugs. After spending days with the security agents, they wrote an undertaking before being released.
“We went round the communities of Ughelli Kingdom to sensitise them on the dangers of hard and illicit drugs. As you would expect, some stopped selling and consuming, but some may not stop. It is a continuing process.”
According to him, when it became obvious that some dealers had not stopped, further action was taken. “When we noticed that some persons had yet to desist from the sales, I went to the local government chairman. Together with the previous efforts, we brought in the NDLEA to Ughelli South, so that when we arrest, we hand them over, since they have the jurisdiction to charge.
“We are only trying to assist the security agents by arresting these people and handing them over. But severally, after arrests and handovers to the NDLEA, the people come back.”
Speaking on his concerns about the agency, he said “the question I asked one of them I had audience with was how many of these people we handed over to your agency have been charged to court? And what came from his mouth was that they must have a reason to charge them.
“I don’t know much about how they operate. But it is bad and evil.”
