NATIONAL DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (NDLEA) AND DRUG RELATED ISSUES: A CASE STUDY OF AKWA IBOM STATE COMMAND

In recent time, there are cases of drug related issues in Nigeria which Akwa Ibom State is part of. The damages caused by the influence of drugs in Akwa Ibom State has been so real, this unfortunate menace promoted the government to set up the national drug law enforcement agency over the years to check drug issues in Nigeria. Accordingly, this study seeks to appraise the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and drug related issues in Akwa Ibom state. The theoretical framework adopted for this study was the availability proneness theory. In order to examine the relationships between the dependent variables and independent variables as well as to test the formulated hypotheses. The study adopted the survey research design methodology, while Availability proneness theory was used as the theoretical guide for the study. Primary and secondary sources of data were used for the study. The study relied on spearman correlation analysis, while based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that strategies adopted by NDLEA and regulation of drug related issues are positively and insignificantly related. Furthermore, the study concluded that NDLEA and regulation of drug vendors are positively and insignificantly related. Finally, the study concluded that change in policy ad regulation of drug related issuesare positively and insignificantly related. In the light of the findings of the study, it is recommended that for effective service delivery , regular training and retraining of NDLEA officers must be a priority. This is imperative given that the drug traffickers do not have any training schools and are not licensed to carry guns. Therefore, regular training and retraining of the officer would naturally give the officers an edge over the traffickers.