NIGERIA’S DRUG LORDS, also, known as Drug Barons, would have hard times ahead, if they continue with illicit drug business in the country. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, retired army Brigadier-General, said his team is moving into 2022, with the resolve to rid the country of illicit substances.
Marwa said NDLEA will embark on aggressive pursuit of drug cartels, barons and traffickers anywhere they may be within the country or even outside; according to a statement, on Sunday, by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesman, in the Agency’s New Year message.
NDLEA was unrelenting in the war against illicit substances in the country in 2021. Marwa said given NDLEA pedigree in dealing with illicit substances in 2021, the agency’s capability and resolve to drive Drug Barons under, in 2022, will not be in doubt.
“In the past year, we have scaled up our capability and reinvigorated our anti-narcotic activities. Our efforts have yielded arrests and interdiction. That should be a clear signal to anyone in the drug trade that the rules of the game have changed.
“In 2022, our goals remain the same: to dismantle drug cartels and syndicates, and that include arresting and having drug offenders jailed by the court and ultimately to rid our society of all traces of illicit substances”, NDLEA’s has resolved, according to the statement.
TURN AROUND WINDOW from the illicit trade, Marwa said, is open to drug traffickers and barons in the country. They should “turn a new leaf before NDLEA turn on the heat and they lose it all”. They have “amass wealth” and made “fortunes from this trade that harms society”, and it is time to quiet, Marwa further stated.
His words: “We call on them to think about the common good, to think about the future of this country, to think about the young and coming generations. Let common sense prevail and on your own volition make a significant contribution towards the effort to have a drug-free society where peace and harmony reign.
“We have seen the havoc of illicit drugs from the ugly development in parts of our nation due to drug abuse by youths and also from the general blight caused by abuse of Cannabis across the country. Those who heed this warning will thank themselves for taking the wise decision to quit the drug trade in the days ahead.
“Those who think and act otherwise can be assured of a tough year in 2022. They can take a cue from what happened in 2021, where the Agency secured various jail terms for over 1, 200 drug traffickers, including nationals of other countries and we brought to book six drug barons, including those outside the country and those who had been on the run for as long as 10 years.”
IN WINNING THE DRUG WAR, Marwa sought, further, full support of government, national assembly, judiciary and the citizenry. He said NDLEA will leave no stone unturned to fulfill its mandate and campaign against drug abuse and trafficking of illicit substances, in 2022.
He said: “The Agency has the public support 100 per cent. The Presidency is backing NDLEA to the hilt. Lawmakers are giving the Agency the necessary leverage. And in the court of law, as proven by recent developments, there is no respite for drug traffickers and barons.
And added: “Likewise, we have a good rapport with international partners. Hence, those who deal in illicit substances can be certain that NDLEA’s long arms will reach them and they will face severe penalties from the law”.
