By Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos
The Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd) declared that there can be no end to insecurity in Nigeria without an end to illicit drugs.
The NDLEA boss made the declaration on Monday during his visit to the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army in Lagos.
Marwa, who visited the army division with the directors of the Agency, requested military support in the fight against illicit drugs.
He stated that drug abuse and crime are interwoven and inseparable and that there is a need for serious collaboration among all the security personnel to address the challenge.
Marwa said the fight against illicit drugs must be a joint effort between the Agency and the military because of the role drugs play in the insecurity of the country.
‘Whenever a camp of terrorists is raided, there is always leftover of drugs and the one arrested after two days in detention will be showing symptoms of drug addiction,’ the NDLEA head said.
‘So, when we cut off the supply of illicit drugs, we are also cutting off the strength of the insurgency and other criminality.
‘The insurgency in the North-East, bandits in the North-West and all these criminals terrorising us, all of them use drugs to get high, to get confidence to be ruthless.’
The use of drugs by these criminals such as bandits and the rest needs to be cut off,’ Marwa told the military.
The NDLEA boss, who had earlier visited some of the Agency’s commands within the state, charged his officers to be more dedicated and committed to the cause of getting rid of the free flow of hard drugs in the country.
Marwa applauded the officers for the achievement recorded so far within the short period since he assumed office chairman of the Agency, stating that the reward for hard work is more work.
Marwa said with the statistics on the ground, he was highly impressed with the officers, disclosing that for the whole year in 2019, the MMIA Command only recovered 34.109 kg of cocaine and 21.72 kg of heroin, but with less than three months in the year 2021, the command has recovered 63.217 kg of cocaine and 950 kg heroin.
The NDLEA boss said on his assumption in office, he had a meeting with all senior officers of the various commands on the way forward, and part of what he promised is to reward any officer and their command that is outstanding bi-monthly.
Adding that based on his promise, he was in Lagos with the directors of the Agency to fulfil the promise.
The NDLEA boss said he was aware of all the challenges being faceD by the officers in the course of performing their responsibilities, promising that the issued would soon be resolved.
He charged the officers to be up and doing and not to relent regardless of the challenges they are faced with.
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos Command was awarded the most outstanding command for the month of January and February. The command was given a plaque and cash giff to motivate the officers.