By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Within the short period he has been in office, having been appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in January, 2021, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has clearly reflected the discipline, with which he sanitized Lagos State before handing it over to civilian administration in May 1999, in administering the anti-narcotic agency.
This came to notice as he announced, on Monday, that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted assorted drugs worth over N90 billion and arrested 2,175 drug traffickers in the last four months.
General Marwa disclosed this in Abuja during a ceremony to present the best performing commands for March and April and presentation of commendation letters to outstanding officers and men.
He said the agency had spent the past four months implementing various measures aimed at repositioning the agency, with emphasis on strengthening the capacity of its officers.
Marwa said that the agency in return had reaped high-impact, far-reaching results that left no room for any doubt about the efficacy of the strategies adopted.
The NDLEA chairman added that the results, however, justified the agency’s efforts saying that the evidence was clear for everyone to see.
According to him, we would not have been able to arrest 2,175 drug traffickers, “and neither would the seizure of 2,050,766.33 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs have been possible if you had chose to do just the minimal work across your various commands.”
He said: “If our approach has been one of business as usual, we would not have been able to seize drug and cash valued at over N90 billion in just four months.
“Think of what a fraction of that could have done to the various criminalities in Nigeria.
“The filing of about 2,100 drug cases in court with over 500 convictions was made possible by the collective efforts of our officers and men who decided to go the extra mile.
“Today, it is part of our records and collective credits that we are not only breaking down the high walls shielding drug cartels but also reining in drug barons.
“So, every one of you, our officers and men, spread across the country made the achievements possible,” he said.
The NDLEA boss assured the officers and men that the agency would not rest on its oars.
He added that the offensive action would not stop until the streets, communities, towns and cities have been cleaned up of any remnant of illicit drugs.
Marwa said that the agency would keep up the offensive in the field, saying that the leadership of the agency would daily continue to work out effective strategies and tactics to sustain the momentum.
“That is why we have strengthened our Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigations to go after all assets or funds linked to drug trafficking which had led to interim and final forfeiture orders on assets and funds worth billions of naira linked to drug traffickers and barons.
“Of significant interest is our current investigation of a N30 billion slush fund believed to be proceeds of drugs,” he said.
Marwa charged the officers and men to sustain the hard work, adding “reward for good work is more work”.
The DEFENDER reports that, with the Adamawa born former Military Governor of Borno and Lagos states in action, drugs traffickers are now finding Nigeria space a hot space to operate, a development many have said would help in the fight against insecurity in the country.
