The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to undertake a study into the medicinal importance of cannabis.
The Oba who made the call yesterday when Edo State Commander of NDLEA, led by its State Commander, Alumona Obioma, paid a courtesy visit to his palace, said the study could lead to breakthroughs in treatment and curing diseases.
He challenged the NDLEA and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) under the Ministry of Health, to look beyond illicit drug seizures in fighting drug related crimes like it is done in other climes, including Israel and the United States of America.
He also drew the NDLEA’s attention to unauthorised sales of prohibited drugs sold in medicine stores, pharmaceutical companies, and other drug cartels in Nigeria.
The revered monarch, while recalling how he brought his innovation to bear in laundering Nigeria’s image in Rome as Nigeria’s Ambassador and dismantled prostitution and the menace of Human Trafficking, promised to leverage his diplomatic experience in leading advocacy against drug crimes and pledged the support of traditional institutions for NDLEA.
“In Israel, they study the use of cannabis. They have an industry for producing cannabis for medical use. I do not know if they have developed that in Nigeria’s health sector.
“You may wish to look into that proposal whereby we can have a medical use of cannabis. It can cure a whole lot of things, according to Israelis,” he said.
Earlier, the State Commander of NDLEA, Alumona Obioma, paid tribute to the Oba of Benin for his timely intervention on critical issues and solicited for prayers to protect the agency’s personnel from harm’s way and make them achieve their mandate in Nigeria.
He lamented the deplorable road network and the logistics challenges that are frustrating NDLEA operatives in fighting drug crimes, adding that people’s involvement in drugs fuel social vices, including drug addiction, internet fraud, cultism, and ritual murder.
“We cannot fold our arms. We must bring them back. Our parents taught us well. But, these ones are trying to show us that they were not taught like our parents.
“So, it is our collective duty to reach out to our people. Reach out to them on the danger of drug crime. Between March and now, we have about five drug users that went through our rehabilitation home.
“My problem is, most of the time we comb the bushes, our men will move around in the night. Now, when you reach a certain place, the cars cannot move. They (NDLEA operatives) have to trek for 2 hours and destroy illicit drug farms,” he said.