In a bold crackdown on insecurity and drug-fueled criminality, the Executive Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area in Ebonyi State, Hon. Chinonso Consider Ajah, has announced sweeping punitive measures targeting drug dealers, users, and their enablers within the council area.
Speaking at a strategic stakeholders' meeting encompassing traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, and community representatives from Uburu, Okposi, and Ugwulangwu, the chairman warned that his administration would no longer tolerate the rising wave of drug abuse and its associated crimes.
He decried the growing menace of methamphetamine (popularly known as Mkpuru Mmiri), tramadol, marijuana, Rohypnol, and other hard substances that continue to endanger young lives and undermine public safety.
“As a government, we are putting our foot down,” Ajah declared. “We will demolish any house serving as a drug den or criminal hideout. We will seize any forest or land used for criminal operations. Property owners who shield these elements—knowingly or not—will be held accountable.”
Ajah disclosed that a local legislation has been enacted to support these actions, stressing that the law empowers the council to take direct action against properties linked to crime. He called on landlords to report suspicious tenants or risk forfeiture of their buildings and lands.
“We will not stand by while our future leaders waste away in addiction and crime. Anyone aiding or abetting these vices, even by silence, will face the full wrath of the law,” the chairman asserted.
He urged parents and guardians to take a firm stand against their children’s involvement in drugs and criminal behavior, encouraging them to enroll their wards in the council's Industrial Cluster in Uburu. The facility offers various vocational trainings—including fashion designing and other skill acquisition programs aimed at tackling youth unemployment.
Ajah reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to tackle the root causes of insecurity, which he identified as drug abuse, poverty, and idleness among the youth.
“We are laying the foundation for a safe, proud, and prosperous Ohaozara. But it must be built on discipline, responsibility, and zero tolerance for crime,” he concluded.
