A group, Center for Democracy and Human Rights, has frowned at what it called lip service on the war against drug trafficking by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The group said its latest condemnation comes against the backdrop of seeing “one of the biggest drug barons in the country, Afam Mallission Ukatu, being made a co-launcher at a religious event at Oba Akinjobi road Ikeja GRA Lagos, on Sunday 4 June 2023.”
The group explained that the alleged “Billionaire drug baron NDLEA told the world in her Press conference in May 2022 that he imported 22 Billion Naira Drugs into Nigeria” is now free and “is moving about and taking part as a socialite in Lagos and other part of the country spending big at social event.”
A statement issued by the spokesman of the group, Adebayo Lion Ogorry, on Sunday said, “allowing Ukatu to be free in such a manner when the NDLEA staged such a loud media event to announce Ukatu’s arrest would definitely make nonsense of the so-called war against drug trafficking.”
According to the group, Ukatu, “has been free since last year, where he did a thanksgiving in the Church last November and on Sunday was the chief co-launcher of the 2023 Harvest launch” of a religious body.
It called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “to act fast, conduct a forensic investigation of the NDLEA using neutral security agencies like DSS, EFCC etc.
It continued that, “Illicit drugs are harming millions of Nigerians, it must not be allowed to continue.
“An agency tasked with fighting the menace is compromising the fight, the least the government must do is to investigate and whoever is found wanting must be punished to serve as deterrent,” the statement said.
