With the acquired two Epenal boats, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA says it is set to to protect Nigerian waters from the trafficking of illicit drug substances,and to cripple the activities of drug cartels on every front.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa gave the assurance on Thursday,12 May,2022 at the handover ceremony of two epenal boats and other operational equipment by the Nigerian Navy to the NDLEA at the Western Naval Command headquarters, Apapa Lagos . Marwa observed that the ongoing synergy between the anti-narcotic agency and other stakeholders especially the military will further tighten the noose on drug cartels and spell doom for their activities in the country.
Marwa noted that the synergy between the Navy and NDLEA, as exemplified by the donation of equipment was a testament that “we are winning the drug war on the waterfront within the broad goal of preventing drug cartels from smuggling narcotics into our country through airports, land borders, and seaports.”
The NDLEA boss said the country has come to a point where security organisations can longer afford to work in silos. Illicit drug trafficking, as a transnational organised crime, requires the deployment of intelligence and close-knit collaboration with key stakeholders like the Nigerian Navy and other security organisations.
Marwa pointed out that the efforts of the Agency in one year showed that the strategy so far has been effective. In 2021, more than 12,300 suspected drug offenders were arrested, including seven drug barons with 1,400 drug traffickers jailed. While, over 3.4 million kilograms of assorted drugs. worth N130 billion were successfully recovered.
This year equally, arrest of over 3,539 suspected drug traffickers including a well-known billionaire baron have been made with the seizure of more than 65,916 kilograms of drugs.
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