Accra: Interior Minister Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka has urged the graduating officers of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) Cadet Course 8 to see the fight against drugs as a moral obligation to protect communities, families, and the future. He emphasized that this fight is not merely a professional duty and raised concerns over the increasing number of young people becoming addicted to prescription drugs, highlighting the threat this poses to individual lives and society as a whole.
According to Ghana News Agency, Alhaji Muntaka made these remarks during the graduation parade and parchment ceremony for the NACOC Cadet Course 8, held at the Leadership Training School, Eastern Naval Command at Tema, in Accra. This ceremony marked a significant achievement in Ghana's collective efforts to combat the menace of illicit drugs and ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.
The ceremony celebrated the graduation of 186 cadet officers, comprising 72 females and 114 males, who successfully completed the mandatory Basic Narcotics Cadet Training Programme. This training, which lasted for six and a half months, equipped the cadets with skills in areas such as pharmacology of drugs, financial investigations, passenger profiling, document fraud, and the intelligence cycle.
Mr. Muntaka reaffirmed the government's commitment to supporting NACOC to ensure the Commission continues to produce well-trained cadets for NACOC and other security agencies across the nation. He noted the recent increase in the seizure of illicit narcotic drugs and the arrest of suspected drug traffickers as an indication of Ghana's renewed fight against illicit drugs, attributing these successes to tighter measures that aim to make Ghana unattractive to drug trafficking syndicates.
The Minister also acknowledged the evolving complexity and evasiveness of drug trafficking networks, which exploit borders, the youth, and other vulnerable areas. He stressed the importance of strengthening prevention programs, enhancing rehabilitation efforts, and bolstering international cooperation to tackle this menace.
He urged NACOC to urgently operationalize the Substance Use Disorder Rehabilitation Fund, as outlined in section 22 of the NACOC Act, 2020. The fund is intended to facilitate research in addiction diseases, treatment of persons with substance use disorders, and the establishment of rehabilitation centers. Mr. Muntaka donated seed money to the fund and called on corporate bodies to support it as part of their corporate social responsibilities.
The Minister also called for intense collaboration and intelligence-sharing among NACOC and other security agencies to tackle illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse effectively. The ceremony concluded with awards given to several cadets for their outstanding performances, including Mr. Richard Kobetta for shooting, Mr. Lawrence Edem Mensah for physical training male and drill, Madam Margaret Kudiabor for physical training female, and Madam Yamyolia Nahajat Ananga Wuntima for academics and overall best cadet.
