THE United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has stated that the move by the Nigerian Senate to impose death penalty for drug trafficking offenders would not yield the desired result.
UNODC Country Representative, Oliver Stolpe, said this at a two-day Media Personnel Training organised in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other partners on Tuesday, May 21, in Abuja.
The training is centered on Anti-Corruption, Police Accountability, Wildlife Crime and Sensitisation on Drugs Prevention, Treatment and Care (DPTC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Stolpe as saying: “Our stance as UN is clear on the death penalty; we are principally and categorically against it. And from a very practical viewpoint, I have to say it doesn’t make sense.”
He maintained that the UN had always advocated for clear distinction between crimes of drug trafficking as opposed to the issue of drug use, noting that it was always considered primarily to be a health issue and should be dealt with as such, as addiction is a health condition, not a choice.
On the need for an updated drug data for Nigerians, Stolpe observed that the current national drug survey for Nigeria was last done six years ago (2018) and, therefore, does not reflect the current situation for Nigeria, yet remains the most cited study in the media.
“This data is outdated and I think a very critical question that media could ask at that point is really: How can we still refer to 2018 data to describe today’s levels of drug use?”
He charged the media to keep the good work while ensuring that information were disseminated efficiently and effectively.
