Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) has said that the bolstered capacity of the anti-narcotic body within the maritime space will further tighten the noose on drug barons and cartels with the volume of recent arrests and seizures of illicit substances on the waterways and seaports.
Marwa stated this in Lagos, on Wednesday, at the commissioning of NDLEA Marine Command Headquarters, a facility built and donated by the British Government.
In his words, “I have to express my profound appreciation to the British High Commission in Nigeria for believing in this project and considering it worthy of His Majesty’s investment.
“The timely delivery of this project and the high standard of the finished work speak volumes about the commitment of the British Government to support our efforts.
“Not quite long ago, a similar edifice, completed with state-of-the-art fittings, was handed over to NDLEA by the British Government at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
“There has also been a series of capacity-building initiatives and provisions of equipment by the Home Office International Operations, which have bolstered the capability of the Agency’s personnel and have enhanced phenomenal drug seizures and arrests. We deeply appreciate the effort of the British government and its institutions.
“According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, “over 80 per cent of the volume of international trade is carried by sea, and the percentage is even higher for developing countries.”
“This is equally true of illicit drug trade because maritime routes have long been exploited by drug traffickers due to the vast expanses of the open sea and the complexity of maritime laws and jurisdictions.
“The illicit drug trade via maritime channels poses severe threats, not only in terms of drug proliferation but also because of its links to organised crime, terrorism, and human trafficking.
“Recent records from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicate that West Africa remains an important transit region for narcotics, mostly emanating from South America.
”
]]]]]We have had at least four trafficking cases in the last two years involving merchant ships (aside from cases of drugs concealed in cargo containers) from South America to Nigeria. The cases are evidence that the maritime corridor provides mobility for illicit trafficking activity.”
He said the recent operational successes recorded by the NDLEA on the waterways and seaports justified his decision to upgrade the marine unit of the Agency to a full-fledged command in 2022.
“We did not make a mistake when, in 2022, we upgraded the Marine Unit to a full-fledged command. Our balance sheet of arrests and seizures of drugs within the maritime space has maintained an upward swing.
T”he collaboration of the Agency’s Marine Command with other maritime law enforcement agencies has resulted in the interception of 61,688.79 kg of varying drugs and the arrest of 41 suspects, 15 of whom are already prosecuted and jailed.
“Through our various port operations in the last three years, the Agency has seized at least 750 tons of illicit drugs ranging from cocaine to codeine, tramadol, methamphetamine and Loud, to mention a few”, he stated.
While calling for continuous collaboration among various security agencies operating within the maritime space, the NDLEA boss said “the operation of our Special Marine Squad on the waterways of Lagos has shown the increasing complexity of maritime drug trafficking.
Aside from merchant ships, personal vessels, including luxury yachts, modified pump boats, and fishing trawlers, are also being employed in this growing drug trade.
Countering this threat requires intense coastal monitoring and collaboration among security agencies to track, search and profile the various vessels on our waterways, as it is the case now”, he added.
While expressing joy that the Marine Command Headquarters facility that started as an idea has crystallised into a physical structure being commissioned, Marwa appreciated all stakeholders that made the project a reality.
“Permit me to express my profound appreciation to the Executive Governor, Lagos State for his inestimable goodwill, which has created a conducive operating environment for all our commands. My appreciation equally goes to the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Customs Service, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for synergising with NDLEA.”
READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
