Kudos NDLEA but it’s not yet Uhuru

 

If there’s one area of governance that history will be kind to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), it’s in his initiative to fight drug abuse. Though National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, better known as NDLEA, has been in existence for over 30 years having been established by Decree No. 48 of December 29, 1989, the impact of the organisation hasn’t been felt as it has been in the last 20 months since Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.) was appointed as the chairman of the anti-narcotics agency.

United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime says the illicit drug problem can be divided into three categories: first, those illicit drugs that are either produced or processed from natural plant products such as opium poppy: opium, morphine and heroin; secondly, synthetically produced illicit drugs, such as amphetamine; and thirdly, psychoactive pharmaceutical drugs that become illicit as a result of being diverted from licit uses or purposes.

There’s no well-informed Nigerian that does not know that the country is embattled with a high prevalence of drug use which research has put at 14.4%. Most of those who indulged in drug use are youths who are generally believed to be the leaders of tomorrow. Who will want a junkie to be his or her president or governor? Not only that, the country is a major transit route as many of my compatriots are involved, either as barons or couriers of the narcotics trade.

According to the 2022 UNODC newsletter published online, “Drug trafficking – the global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws is estimated to be a $32 billion industry. The recently launched UNODC campaign on transnational organised crime highlights that drug trafficking continues to be the most lucrative form of business for criminals worldwide.” Any wonder then why Nigerians are involved in this illicit drug trade?

As of January 18, 2021, when Marwa resumed duty as chairman of NDLEA, the agency had a meagre 5,000-man ageing workforce that was undermotivated, poorly trained and bedevilled by poor work conditions. The agency lacked working tools and was starved of operating funds. But with the support of the presidency, the legislative institution and the Ministry of Justice,  remarkable progress has been made in different areas of the agency’s operations.

The highlights as provided by the Head of the Publicity and Advocacy Directorate of the agency, Mr Femi Babafemi, shows that there has been Administrative Restructuring / Rejuvenation of the agency’s workforce with the creation of six new directorates namely: Directorates of Planning, Research & Statistics, Special Duties/Strike Force, Internal Affairs/Provost Marshall, Airport Operations, Forensic & Chemical Monitoring and Media & Advocacy. Furthermore, the agency created 14 zonal commands while 3,506 officers and men were promoted.

There was also payment of accumulated claims of officers and burial expenses owed to families of 188 officers who died in active service (last paid in 2014) and payment of premium injury and life insurance for officers and men

Consequent to the president’s approval to increase NDLEA’s workforce by 100%, the agency, in 2021, recruited and trained 5,000 new officers at the NDLEA Academy, Jos. The recruitment beefed up the Agency’s staff strength and increased its efficiency in the areas of interdiction. The anti-drug institution is now more visible at airports, seaports and land borders, as well as on highways and in cities across the country.

The agency has by its performance earned the trust and confidence of international partners. Their show of support includes the donation of a speedboat to the Marine Unit of NDLEA by the UK government in February 2021; Training and donation of intervention equipment (twice) by the French government; donation of two million euros Narcotic Detection Dog Training Facility  (to be completed in four years) by the German government; detention facility at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport refurbished and equipped by the UK Border Force on December 8, 2021; and a pledge of £1 million support from UK Government in June 2022 (not in cash but in kind).

Babafemi’s statement further revealed that the agency’s drug supply reduction efforts recorded the following success: The arrest of 18,940 suspected drug traffickers (comprising 17,444 males and 1,496 females and including 12 barons) from January 2021 to July 2022. Conviction of 2,904 offenders to various jail terms in court. Seizure of 3. 6 million kilograms of narcotic and psychotropic substances while 691 hectares of cannabis farms were detected and destroyed across six states.

Following the outbreak of abuse of crystal methamphetamine, popularly called Mkpuru Mmiri, in 2021, the agency mobilised all operational assets to locate and dismantle illicit meth laboratories in the country. Recently, two laboratories in Victoria Garden City, Ajah, Lagos and Nise Community, Anambra State, were discovered and dismantled with the owners and the chemist/cook arrested. Illicit drug funds that were investigated and seized include Final Forfeiture―(i.) One million, three hundred and nineteen thousand, four hundred dollars ($1,319,400) (ii.) one hundred and two thousand pounds (£102,000) (iii.) Fourteen million CFA Francs (CFA 14, 000, 000)― and Interim forfeiture of two hundred and fifty-two million, four hundred and seven thousand, seven hundred and twenty-six naira, twenty Kobo, (N252,407,726.20)

Part of the achievements of the agency is the counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of 12,326 drug-dependent people at the NDLEA facilities. The agency’s Drug Abuse Call Centre was commissioned on July 29, 2021. The toll-free helpline, 0800-1020-3040, allows drug-dependent individuals or families and employers of people suffering from drug use disorder to seek help without compromising their anonymity, confidentiality and safety. The calls in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo languages are received and acted upon by a team of psychologists, counsellors and mental health professionals.

There has also been successful enrolment of several NGOs and groups for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Care Training to empower them with the requisite skills and knowledge on how to handle drug abuse matters.  Among others, first ladies of 36 states, under the aegis of the Governors Wives Forum, were also trained on DPTC in July 2021. A robust advocacy campaign, War Against Drug Abuse, was launched by Mr President to create anti-drug abuse awareness.

The agency in the past 20 months has formed new alliances and revitalised old partnerships across the globe. Worthy of mention are the MoUs with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, Drug Law Enforcement Agency of Gambia, General Directorate of Narcotics Control of Saudi Arabia, Cote D’Ivoire and the Directorate for Priority Crime and Investigation of South Africa. NDLEA is also deploying cutting-edge technology including drug-detecting scanners at the airports and the Alethia eye-based lie detector system at Murtala Mohammed International Airport. The agency has also launched National Drug Control Master Plan 2021-2025 which is a balanced, multi-sectoral collaboration roadmap for drug control policies in Nigeria.

NDLEA Directorate of Media and Advocacy has been reorganised to bridge the gap in public education and enlightenment, especially with a focus on youth, who constitute a vulnerable group. The agency has effectively deployed social media―Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube—to maximum effect.

As Nigeria prepares for the 2023 general election, the NDLEA as a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security should double down on those who engage in drug abuse as it’s from their ranks that political thugs are sourced and used to foment electoral violence. The agency should therefore carry out mop-up operations across all the black spots across the country. It should also mount round-the-clock surveillance on those who intend to peddle drugs in order to raise money for electoral campaigns.

Though better than what was obtained in the past, funding and insufficient manpower are still issues to be well tackled to be able to cover years of neglect and the increasing population of drug users and traffickers in a country with a population of over 200 million people Also, Bill to amend the Agency’s Act that will remove the option of fine in court sentencing and also cover new psychoactive substances has been before the National Assembly for years now. It needs to be passed to strengthen the agency