The appointment of Brig. Gen Buba Marwa (retd.) as the helmsman at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) may have brought renewed vigour to the campaign against drugs cartel and trafficking, KEHINDE OSASONA writes.
“Brace up or move out, as tackling the drug war under my leadership will be like a moving train which will crush anyone who stands on its front.
“It is not going to be business as usual. It is a moving train. Please, let nobody stand in its front. The train will crush any such person.
“To be forewarned is to be fore armed. To the unbending drug crime perpetrators, I would like to let them know also that the game is up. It is high time they embraced another trade,” these words of the newly appointed Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen Buba Marwa (retd.), set the stage for the new era at the agency.
While addressing NDLEA Commanders from the 36 states and the FCT as well as Commanders in all the nations’ international airports, Marwa ordered them to mop up illicit drugs across the country.
He said: “We need not be told of the nexus between drug use, crime and criminalities as the exponential growth of the nefarious drug activities can be directly linked to the upsurge in crimes such as insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery, gangsterism, rape, and other mal-adaptation be-devilling today’s Nigeria.
“We will be fair but firm in this war. Our maxim will be offensive action. This means we must go all out constantly on the offensive against the bad guys. The success we make of this particular task goes a long way to determine the socio-economic stability of the nation.”
War against cartels, traffickers
Cocaine, heroin and marijuana are the most commonly abused and trafficked illicit substance; there are other drugs which are banned by the government and its agencies.
Indications are that an estimated 125 tons of cocaine, destined for European markets, flows into West Africa each year, just as it has been estimated that about US$ 100 billion to US$ 1,000 billion is yearly generated from the global illicit drug industry.
Similarly, majority of heroin consumed in Europe originates from South-west Asia, South-east Asia, Colombia and Mexico, while the route of distribution involves countries and areas such as China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and, increasingly, African countries for shipment purposes.
In Nigeria, despite the fact that some states have legalised the sale and purchase of marijuana for personal use, it is still considered a crime by the federal government.
However, as a way of setting new agenda the NDLEA boss signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the United States government on how to strengthen Nigeria’s war against illicit drugs, even as he assured that the agency would be hard on illicit drug traffickers in the country.
Receiving the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard in Abuja, the NDLEA boss insisted that the agency was poised to rid the country of illicit drugs trade, trafficking and consumption.
He said, “In carrying out this onerous task, I will take this opportunity to seek for more of your support for the agency to enable us to move faster.
“NDLEA has been partnering with the US departments and agencies fighting against drugs menace like DEA and INF and they have assisted us in the area of training, operational equipment, logistics, but we still need more of this assistance to ensure we go after the criminals and in a hard way.
“I must thank the US government for all the support NDLEA has received through the years. Indeed, this week, I distributed 12 vehicles which I got wind of during my time in Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drugs Abuse (PACEDA). I also got wind of delayed MOU between the agency and the United States. I am happy to say I have signed the MOU.”
The big hauls…
Barely one week after the new chairman vowed to dismantle drug trafficking cartels across Nigeria, the agency made huge seizures of cocaine and heroin, with street values worth over N30 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
One of the seizures, 26.840 kilogrammes of cocaine, was reported to be the biggest single seizure from an individual in the past 15 years.
According to a top official of the agency, the haul from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives stationed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a related development, another haul of 40 parcels of cocaine and weighing 43.11kg, with an estimated street value of over N32 billion was also intercepted at the Tincan Port in Lagos.
The Commander, NDLEA Tincan Port Command, Mr Sumaila Ethan, disclosed the development in a statement by the Head of Public Affairs, Mr Jonah Achema in Abuja.
Ethan noted that the agency had continued its offensive action against drug barons and cartels in Nigeria with the latest seizure in recent times.
He said that the consignment containing the illicit drug was put under surveillance by operatives of the Tincan Command of the NDLEA for some days until two clearing agents showed up on February 8, 2021, to clear it.
Ethan said the two clearing agents have been arrested and the consignment, which was brought into Nigeria from Brazil on board a vessel, marked MV SPAR SCORPIO, has been properly searched.
“After a thorough search, we discovered 40 compressed parcels, which after laboratory investigations tested positive to cocaine.
“The two clearing agents have been taken into custody while we continue with the investigation. The seizure is no doubt an attestation to the renewed vigour in the operations of the agency.
“We appreciate our Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), who provided guidance all through the operations,” the commander stated.
Ethan further said that the Tincan Port seizure was coming on the heels of similar ones at the Lagos and Abuja airports as well as from the FCT, Edo, Katsina, Nasarawa and Benue state commands in the last three weeks.
He commended the commander, officers and men of the Tincan Port Command for the operation.
“We’ll continue to do our best to motivate the officers and men of the agency, and we expect full commitment, dedication to work and discipline in return so that we can collectively achieve the goal of ridding our nation of illicit drugs,” he stated.
X-raying foreign support
As part of its resolve to assist Nigeria in its campaign against illicit drugs, the British government, just last week, handed over a fully operational rigid inflatable boat (RHIB) to the NDLEA agency to improve the agency’s already effective capability to patrol and intercept vessels of interest and detect criminality that operates in and around the waterways surrounding Lagos.
At the handing-over ceremony, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, stated that the deployment of the NDLEA patrol RHIB would help deter criminals and reduce maritime crime such as drug smuggling, piracy, robbery and kidnapping.
Also, during a courtesy visit to the NDLEA Chairman in Abuja, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Jerome Pasquier, assured that the French government would partner with the agency in its renewed resolve to tackle menace of illicit drugs in Nigeria.
According to Pasquier, his visit stemmed from the giant and positive strides recorded by the agency in the fight against drugs such as cocaine, cannabis, within the short time that Marwa had been in charge of the anti-drug outfit.
“I came here with a French technical expert in the fight against drugs. We are very much willing to cooperate with Nigeria in fighting drug trafficking and drug sales.
“We have been impressed with the seriousness with which the agency is tackling the menace. We are ready to provide support in the aspect of exchange of information, provision of equipment and language training particularly since Nigeria is surrounded by Francophone countries,” he said.
Similarly, giving a remark a few weeks ago, the US Ambassador Ms Beth Leonard congratulated Marwa on his appointment as NDLEA boss and tasked him on setting priority, present and future direction for the agency under his leadership.
“We congratulate you on this appointment and will also like to know your priority, present and future direction of the agency under your leadership.
“We have a long history of relationship. It was great to come see you, to get your assessment of the situation on ground and know how to move the relationship forward,” Ms Beth Leonard said.
