The
planned probe of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) by the House
of Representatives has been described as a blessing by the Agency. This is
because the said amount represents the estimated value of seized drugs by the
Agency and not physical cash. Such seized drugs are regularly destroyed
publicly in line with the NDLEA Act. The Agency stated that the probe will not
only give it a clean bill of health but will ultimately enable the House to
appreciate its impressive scorecard in the past ten years and increase its budgetary
appropriation for optimal performance in the country’s war against narcotics.
NDLEA
deserves commendation as one of the Agencies of government that has judiciously
managed its annual budgetary allocations with zero tolerance for corruption. The
remarkable result recorded is a product of pragmatic leadership, selfless-sacrifices
made by dedicated officers as well as the goodwill of stakeholders. The past
ten years of the NDLEA under the immediate past Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu
Giade can best be described as the golden era of drug control in Nigeria. This
has led to the ever rising international profile of Nigeria through dislodgement
of drug trafficking cartels, removal of Nigeria from the Drug Majors List by
the United States, unprecedented seizures of drugs as well as arrests and
convictions of drug traffickers.
Between
2006 and 2014, NDLEA seized narcotic drugs weighing fifty-five million, eight hundred
and thirty thousand, eight hundred and thirty-seven kilogrammes (55,830,837kg) valued
at over one trillion naira. It also arrested 72,253 suspected drug traffickers.
The suspected traffickers consists of 67,773 males and 4,480 females while the
breakdown of drugs is as follows; 55,657,727.32kg of cannabis, 17,748.382kg of
cocaine, 874.304kg of heroin and 153,831.6kg of psychotropic substances. The
NDLEA also prosecuted 14,801 drug traffickers within the period and won 14,668
cases.
In his congratulations letter, UNODC Executive
Director Mr Yury Fedotove lauded the former Chairman, Ahmadu Giade for his
pragmatic and visionary leadership in the fight against drug trafficking
syndicates. In a letter signed by the Deputy Executive Director Mr Aldo
Lale-Demoz, UNODC commended the commitment and engagement of the NDLEA boss in
the continued close cooperation with stakeholders.
“Your efforts have been instrumental in making Nigeria
a key player in the global efforts to address the drug problem and I am
confident that this legacy will live on. This close collaboration has also been
manifested by NDLEA hosting our project team for the NDLEA-EU-UNODC project on
the Response to Drugs and Related Organised Crime in Nigeria” Fedotov stated.
The United States Consul General, Mr John Bray equally
commended the Agency for ten years of outstanding leadership. Mr Bray presented
two letters of commendation from the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration (USDEA) and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
(INL). According to INL, the vision and steadfast service of the Agency’s
leadership has placed “NDLEA on the road to adopting modern law enforcement
investigative techniques and transiting to an intelligence-led agency. The
Agency has raised its international profile and fostered international
cooperation with major stakeholders. These accomplishment have created a
foundation upon which the NDLEA can combat drug trafficking and strengthen the
security of the Nigerian people”.
No comments:
Post a Comment