NAN – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Thursday warned that Lagos residents were being exposed to poisonous waste from some illegal methamphetamine factories in the state.
The agency’s spokesperson, Mitchel Ofoyeju, said that it discovered six of such clandestine drug manufacturing laboratories in Lagos in 2013.
Mr. Ofoyeju said that one of such laboratories was also discovered in Anambra, while 12 suspected manufacturers were arrested nationwide in the year under review.
He said the agency believed the laboratories could be found in any location, either in the streets or estates within residential areas.
He, however, noted that such laboratories were not easily identifiable because a room in a complex could be converted into a laboratory.
The spokesperson said that based on the six laboratories discovered in Lagos, it was noticed that the illegal drug manufacturers tended to dump toxic waste carelessly in front of houses.
Mr. Ofoyeju stated that such houses usually did not have sign posts, but chemical waste and coloured water could be easily seen in the drains around them.
He, therefore, called on members of the public to watch out for signs of these clandestine laboratories which include foul smelling chemicals, as well as areas where individuals experienced skin irritations.
Methamphetamine is a powerful addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. The drug is not made for local abuse, but is usually exported to Asia, Europe, America and Southern Africa.
