Liberia’s Ambassador to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, John Ballout, has called for the establishment of a regional task force to tackle illicit drug trafficking menace in West Africa.
Ballout, who is also concurrent Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and Equatorial Guinea, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said that, through collective effort, pooled resources, strategic planning, and institutional approach, member states could limit, discourage and possibly stop the cross-border movement of illicit drugs.
“None of us has the capacity to deal with this cross-border drug trafficking, unless we go together.
“Even larger, better-resourced countries, such as Nigeria, continue to find the challenge difficult,” he said.
The envoy suggested that each country should, however, tackle the domestic dimension within its own borders.
He described illicit drug trafficking as a threat to the next generation, considering the danger it posed to the youth, adding that Liberia was grappling with the serious challenges it posed.
Ballout said that the menace of illicit drug trade in the country was a culmination of Liberia’s post-war recovery, and warned that the next generation was being sacrificed to illicit drugs.
He lauded ongoing efforts aimed at creating a West African Drug Enforcement Agency, noting that the agency would help to man member states’ borders and discourage cross-border transportation of illicit drugs.
According to him, the body will help to control drug transfers between member states by air, sea and land, while individual countries handle domestic enforcement.
“The proposed body will not be a military force, but a joint security task force, with each member state contributing personnel at different border points.
“This will go a long way in saving our region. If we don’t do that, we stand to lose the next generation,” he said.
