Marwa’s Record-breaking Drug War

BRIEFINGNOTES

Since Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) assumed office as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the anti-narcotic agency has broken the record in the drug war, having arrested some of the hitherto untouchable drug barons and seized over N100 billion worth of narcotic substances within eight months, Ejiofor Alike reports

Before Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) took over as the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in January, the agency had lost its steam in the drug war.

On assumption of office, Marwa warned that Nigeria could no longer fold its hands and watch the rising cases of drug use in the country.

He noted the unacceptable level of drug abuse in the country, insisting that it must stop.

“I would like to warn those who engage in the dastardly trade of importation, export, cultivation, processing, manufacturing, trafficking, sale and consumption of illicit substances to stop forthwith or be prepared to contend with the NDLEA,” he had reportedly said in his maiden address to the officers of the agency.

Marwa matched his words with actions as the NDLEA waged the war against illicit drugs with the speed of light.

To wake the demoralised NDLEA personnel from their long years of slumber and motivate them for the challenges ahead, Marwa had immediately set up a harmonisation committee to address the issues of low morale and stagnation in the career path of personnel.

Following the recommendation of the committee, Marwa, five months later, approved the immediate promotion of 3,506 officers and men to their next ranks, thus breaking the jinx of long years of stagnation in the agency.

A breakdown of the list of the promoted officers and men showed that eight Assistant Commanders General of Narcotics (ACGN) were elevated to the rank of Deputy Commander General of Narcotics (DCGN); 20 Commanders of Narcotics (CN) to Assistant Commander General of Narcotics; 54 Deputy Commanders of Narcotics to Commander of Narcotics; 14 Assistant Commanders of Narcotics to Commander of Narcotics; 150 Assistant Commanders of Narcotics to Commander of Narcotics; and 350 Chief Superintendents of Narcotics to Assistant Commander of Narcotics.

A total of 630 Superintendents of Narcotics were also moved to the next rank as Chief Superintendent of Narcotics; 41 Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics to Superintendent of Narcotics; 481 Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I to Superintendent of Narcotics; 157 Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I to Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics ; 12 Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II to Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I; 187 Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II to Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics; 119 Chief Narcotic Agent to Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I; 47 Chief Narcotic Agent to Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II; 1,006 Senior Narcotic Agent to Chief Narcotic Agent; Four Narcotic Agent to Chief Narcotic Agent; 68 Narcotic Agent to Senior Narcotic Agent; one Narcotic Assistant I to Senior Narcotic Assistant; and 78 Narcotic Assistant I to Narcotic Agent .

However, within six weeks of Marwa’s assumption of office, NDLEA had seized N60 billion worth of drugs from different parts of the country.

The agency’s seizure of 230 tonnes of cannabis in Edo State, under Marwa’s watch remains the largest single seizure in the history of the agency.

Under Marwa, operatives of the agency unmasked and launched raids on online drug traffickers, and intercepted motorcycles belonging to courier companies, which were used by despatch riders in the door-to-door distribution and sale of drugs.

Even drug dealers, who sell the illicit substances through Instagram account, have been tracked and arrested in the renewed war against drugs.

The agency did not spare a serving officer of a law enforcement agency, who was selling illicit drugs to students of a federal university in Ogun State, as the officer and one of his salesmen, a motorcycle rider, were also arrested.

The officer, who served at the Lagos State Command of the security agency, was identified as Abayomi Popoola, while the name of his despatch rider was simply given as Ogah.

Within Marwa’s first 100 days in office, the NDLEA seized over N80 billion worth of drugs from different parts of the country, making many Nigerians to imagine how the drug cartel had profited immensely from the illicit trade.

The agency also arrested no fewer than 5,000 suspects and secured 500 convictions within the first five months.

Within the same period, a total of 3,000 offenders were charged to court, while 2,303 individuals were counselled and treated for drug-related problems.

Marwa has also taken the drug war to the Church as major drug dealer wanted for attempting to export 69.65kilogrammes of cocaine, heroin and cannabis to the United Kingdom through the NAHCO export facility of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, was arrested in a church at Ojodu, Ikeja area.

Operatives of the NDLEA had traced the wanted drug dealer, Mr. Stephen Afam Ikeanyionwu, to a popular pentecostal church at Mike Ajari Street, Ojodu Berger, Lagos where they arrested him soon after he stepped out of the church service.

His arrest followed the interception of a consignment of illicit drugs weighing 69.65kg going to the UK through the Lagos airport on Thursday, August 12, 2021.

The illegal baggage had been sent to the airport for export through a freight forwarding company, which in turn gave a driver to deliver at the NAHCO export facility.

After the arrest of the driver, follow-up operations and investigations were carried out to unmask the true identity of the owner of the consignment, who was arrested three days later in a sting operation.

Also, a former Vice Chairman of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Asekun Kehinde Sakiru, was also arrested by operatives of the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja.

Asekun, according to a statement by the NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, was alleged to be a notorious drug baron and had been on the wanted list of the agency.

Marwa’s drug war has also contributed very significantly to the war against crimes as the NDLEA’s efforts have helped to reduce the supply of the illicit substances to criminal gangs across the country.

But the federal government’s war against insurgency and banditry received a direct positive impact of the Marwa’s drug war when the NDLEA on September 8, intercepted loads of Captagon, a brand of Amphetamine meant for insurgents’ camps in Nigeria, at the Apapa port in Lagos.

The NDLEA chairman, who had revealed that the container passed through three countries, had also vowed that the agency would not rest until everyone connected to the consignment was arrested and prosecuted.

“Going by the street value of about $25 per tablet, the importer would have raised $11.3million, which is equivalent to N6 billion.

“Imagine the impact of this drug in the hands of criminal gangs or a fraction of the profit from its sale being used to fuel criminalities across the country, we can think of our worst-case scenarios and they will still be farther from the repercussions that could be unleashed on the country,” Marwa reportedly said.

As the country awaits the outcome of the NDLEA’s manhunt for the importers of the N6 billion drugs, there is no doubt that Marwa has taken the drug war to an unprecedented level, which should be sustained.

But one thing he must be conscious of, is not to allow himself to be carried away because any little slip would tarnish his image and rubbish all his good work and efforts.