Recently, the Kaduna State branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) alleged harassment and extortion of its members by agents of the Kaduna State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Addressing journalists on Friday, the state's Chairman of PSN, Sunday Okoh, said operatives of NDLEA had been intimidating and arresting members of the association in Kaduna.
Okoh said, "Times without number NDLEA has unduly, illegally and unprofessionally obstructed and hindered these life-saving roles only to feather their nest, exploit Nigerians, collect bribes and force their victims to give assent that bail is free after collecting millions of naira.
"Law enforcement agents have become lawbreakers. What a shame. Enough is enough, NDLEA. Allow pharmacists to do their work.
"Arresting pharmacists and obstructing bail applications in the name of ongoing investigations, confiscating prescription drugs at pharmacies and placing a seal on the pharmacies can no longer go down the throat."
However, we know better because we are at the receiving end of the negative effects of drug trafficking in our area, and we know pharmacies that actively deal in illicit drugs and banned substances. We wear the shoe, so we know where it pinches. In our area, which some people call Obalende, around the Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS) in Kaduna, many drug outlets do nothing but sell codeine syrup and tramadol tablets to anyone with the ability to buy. We can't continue this way, and PSN cannot claim to be unaware of this menace.
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It is not impossible to have bad eggs in NDLEA, just as illicit drug merchants are found within the fold of PSN. If the agents of NDLEA are acting in an unprofessional manner as Okoh alleged, which is not impossible, nothing stops PSN from collecting enough evidence and seeking redress from the NDLEA leadership at the national level or even in a court of law.
But it must be put on the record that a number of pharmacies in Kaduna are nothing but illegal drug merchants smiling to the bank while destroying the lives of our youths by making them invalid members of society.
So, I will advise PSN to clean its house first before talking about the dirt in another man's compound. I also urge NDLEA to continue to discharge its mandate without fear or favour. They should always look inwards and fish out the bad eggs in their midst, but they must never allow allegations to stop them from carrying out their mandate.
Okoh should also be told that the National Assembly he is calling on to "curtail the excesses of the operatives of NDLEA in Kaduna State" recently took a strong stand against drug trafficking. While the House of Representatives has recommended life imprisonment, the Senate voted in favour of the death penalty. The menace of illicit drug trafficking and abuse must be nipped in the bud, and we all have roles to play.
Aminatu Ibrahim Bala, Abubakar Kigo Road, Kaduna
