To win the drug war, all organizations, govt offices, should set up WADA desks –Marwa

Retired Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa, chairman and chief executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the entire officers and men have clearly demonstrated courage, passion and bravery in prosecuting the war against drug and substance abuse which had resulted in the arrest of 18, 940 traffickers in the last 18 months. Illicit drugs estimated at hundreds of billions of naira have also been seized by the agency across the country. But he tells THOMAS IMONIKHE in this interview that winning the war against drug barons and traffickers should be the collective responsibility of all Nigerians. Excerpts:

What is the secret behind NDLEA’s strings of successes in the war against hard drugs and trafficking in narcotic substances which has resulted in the arrests of hundreds of suspected barons, traffickers and unprecedented seizures under your leadership?

We are grateful to God for all the achievements, and the support, the encouragement by President Muhammadu Buhari. That said, everything else lies on the strategies that we use, which have been reviewed and the professionalism of the officers and men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. At every level of command we take leadership as a critical component of our work. We have in addition embarked on leadership training to make sure that our commanders at the various levels of commands get cutting edge abilities that will cope with the demands that we face both at drug supply reduction, facing the cartels and the drug demand reduction, which is facing the consumption, the consumers. So the new strategies that we embark upon using the same men and officers are having a great impact. For instance the offensive action which we have put in place. Offensive action is actually one of the ten principles of war and it stipulates that going after the other side, the enemy, requires that you have offensive spirit. You can never conquer an enemy through defensive action; you have to go on the offensive. The same way we were able to disable the two Meth Laboratories recently, we have to go out on intelligence-based operations to deal with the cartels.

Considering the strength of the drug barons, their accomplices, and the fact that your personnel live in the same environment where these criminals operate is a great risk. Are there adequate protective measures for your officers and men who are daily exposed to avoidable harm and danger?

One of the most dangerous aspects of the profession obviously has to do with the type of work that we do. We are not unaware of it, but as you know since we are aware of this state of affairs, we also have taken appropriate steps for the protection and welfare of our officers and men. So over this period, a number of efforts have been made, thanks to Mr. President, and one of the most important is the provision of barracks that he has approved which will start this budget year, over a planned period. That is a very critical element because our officers and their families mostly live in rented apartments and homes in towns, cities and communities where the dealers and the cartels also live, so that is a challenge which the President has removed for us. By the time the barracks are completed, the accommodation problem facing our officers and men would have been addressed. We are also properly armed, and anyone that challenges NDLEA to a duel will himself face the consequences because our men are well trained, and we have a Strike Force. I have increased the strength of the Strike Force that I met ten fold and they are strategically placed across the country, well armed, well equipped and well trained. They receive special warfare training from the Nigerian Army Counter Terrorism Centre of the School of Infantry.

The Buraeu of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, INL  of the United States, the French Police, the National Crime Agency in the U.K. give the Strike Force training. So in effect, our officers and men receive training from three different agencies. We are also working closely with the Drug Enforcement and Administration, DEA of the US, the U.K. Border Force, the German Criminal Police, General Directorate of Narcotics of Saudi Arabia and have opened discussion with South Africa Hawks. Protective gears are also provided for personnel of the NDLEA and we have standard operation procedures for all contingencies. For instance, if we go and strike in a difficult forest or raid operations, or other forms of offensive action, we are always prepared and the men are insured fully.

 How successful has your advocacy on War Against Drug Abuse, WADA been?

I am very happy to say that after the President launched the WADA last year, it has caught like fire everywhere including communities, churches, mosques, motor parks and schools. Recently I launched the programme at the University of Abuja and other universities have started embracing this cause. But one point is very clear and that is: it is the collective responsibility of all the citizens, that is; parents, community leaders, pastors, Imams, labour leaders, workers, unions

to prevent first, our children, our youth and families from using drugs, every body has to stand up and that is the spirit of WADA. So we can’t accept the current situation where fifteen million Nigerians are using drugs, over ten million smoking hemp, eating or drinking it, which comes in diverse forms and sizes. The message has been taken and is like a storm everywhere. I did mention earlier that in the South East for instance, the town unions, associations and the various communities, have taken the campaign against Meth,  Mkpuru Mmiri to the grassroots which we have been advocating countrywide. That there should be structures against drug abuse beginning from community level because the destination of drugs is the community, and it trickles down to the streets.

Also, at that level, they know where in the community drugs are used, and they know also who are those that abuse drugs, who need help, who need treatment. So this is something we will continue to encourage and all the organizations, government offices, should all have WADA desks. Another important component of our advocacy is the need for drug integrity tests for especially students and some of the leaders who are about to take up important leadership appointments. You really don’t want a drug addict or dealer to be involved in governance. We also have a toll-free number 080010203040 which families, drug abusers who need help can call the call centre. We have psychotherapists on the line, psychologists, professionals who will respond and offer help, guidance and give information as to where best to go for treatment if that is what is needed.

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