The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Buba Marwa has called for intensive action to provide sustainable alternative means of livelihood for illicit drug traffickers.

Marwa made the call at an NDLEA Special Purpose Committee meeting on the Alternative Development project in Nigeria, on Friday in Abuja.

He said stakeholders must team up to wipe out trafficking and protect the people from exploitation by drug cartels.

Providing sustainable alternative means of livelihood for illicit drug traffickers would restrain illicit drug production and trade in the country, he said.

“Now that they are fast losing ground in the illicit drug business as a result of heavy clamp down on them, they may go into other crimes.

“We, therefore, need to provide sustainable alternative means of engaging them so that we do not recycle illicit drug dealers in the world of crime,” he said.

Marwa acknowledged crop substitution and education as important tools that would be employed by the agency as part of the Alternative development programme.

“In our efforts to provide people-centred sustainable and legitimate alternatives to illicit drugs, 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,” he said.

Marwa, who was represented by his Special Adviser on National Drug Control Master Plan, Lanre Ipinmisho, said illicit drug cultivation and production are threatening national and global security and affect the natural ecosystem.