Buba Marwa, the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has demanded that immediate action be taken to give illegal drug traffickers a viable alternative source of income.

Marwa made the request on Friday in Abuja during a meeting of the NDLEA Special Purpose Committee about the Alternative Development project in Nigeria.

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In order to eradicate trafficking and shield the populace from the exploitation of drug gangs, he said, stakeholders needed to work together.

According to him, giving drug traffickers a stable alternative source of income will stop the nation’s illicit drug manufacturing and trade.

They might turn to other crimes now that they are quickly losing ground in the illegal drug trade as a result of strict enforcement measures.

“Therefore, in order to avoid recycling illegal drug dealers into the criminal world, we must offer sustainable alternative means of engaging them,” he stated.

Marwa stated that the agency would use crop substitution and education as crucial measures as part of the Alternative development project.

He declared, “We will set up structures to provide education to the people on the dangers that illicit drug cultivation and production pose to security and the environment as part of our efforts to provide people-centered, sustainable, and legitimate alternatives to illicit drugs.”

Marwa stated that the manufacturing and cultivation of illegal drugs endangers both national and international security and has an impact on the natural ecology. He was speaking through his Special Advisor on National Drug Control Master Plan, Lanre Ipinmisho.