By Joy Odor
Efforts to mobilise more support for the on-going war against illicit drug trafficking and abuse in the country received a boost when the Service Chiefs pledged to support the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to achieve its goal of ridding Nigeria of narcotics.
They are the Armed Forces when the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Leo Irabor; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Azee Gambo and the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao.
The military Chiefs made the commitments when the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) led a team of his management officers to pay them advocacy visit at their headquarters in Abuja and made available to newsmen in a press statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi Thursday.
Gen. Marwa commended the Armed Forces for their sacrifice, patriotism and gallantry to keep the nation safe and secure.
He expressed the Agency’s appreciation of the collaboration and support from the military, adding that the visit was to seek more ways to strengthen the existing partnership with the armed forces.
“There’s no doubt that illicit drugs fuel and enhance criminalities, hence the need for more collaboration; a partnership that is mutually beneficial because when the problem of drugs is taken out of the security challenge equation, the military will have less to do in tackling terrorism, banditry and kidnapping”, he stated.
NDLEA Boss called for the adoption of drug test within the services and more support in the areas of intelligence sharing, training, logistics and operational back up.
In their responses, the Service Chiefs commended Gen. Marwa for his laudable achievements within a short time of assuming leadership of NDLEA.
They said the military is willing to accede to Marwa’s requests, saying the work of NDLEA needs to be sustained and supported because we’ll have less to contend with if the drug issue is largely resolved and taken care of.
The Military Chiefs added that drug trafficking is a grave one and offenders deserve stiffer punishment to serve as deterrence and assured that there is a standing instruction to army formations to always support NDLEA operations.
They therefore promised logistics support in the areas agreed upon as well as collaboration.
“We’ve always supported NDLEA and will continue to do so because we’ll like to be associated with the successes you are recording in the Agency, they said.
