Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), has warned drug traffickers to desist.
He said once they are caught, their wealth, property will be confiscated by law.
Speaking in an interview with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VOA) monitored by Blueprint in Kaduna on Saturday, Gen. Marwa said since the traffickers believed that even when convicted and jailed they can always come back to their illicit wealth, NDLEA will ensure that they don’t meet the ill gotten wealth on their return.
According to him, there was enormous wealth in the hard drug business and that could be why those doing the business could risk going to the prison, knowing that they would come back and meet their money after serving the jail term.
“In dealing with drug and its trafficking, you know there’s huge amount of money in the business. Just a small thing but you see a lot of money. Such is found in different kinds of wealth.”
The NDLEA boss said during the interview that he will not talk more on suspended DCP Abba Kyari because the matter is before the court, but added a snippet that, “but for one to be caught red handed and you later turn to blame others,there is no sense in doing so”.
“So we now decided that in our operation, we will chase the individual and also go after his wealth. That’s how we work. So it’s not only about Abba Kyari, whoever we arrest, we confiscate his wealth. We will close his bank account. All his wealth that are proceeds from the drug business, we will seize it.
“But it is the court that gives the final judgement if the property is being forfeited. We are not the ones to sell it, it’s the Minister of Justice that does that according to the law. Then the money will be returned to the Federal Government coffers,” he said.
Marwa was a former Military Governor of Borno and Lagos states.
Since his appointment as NDLEA chairman, the number of drug seizures and high profile arrest of suspects have been unprecedented in recent years.
