
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA Brig-Gen Buba Marwa (retd.) in his New Year message titled: ‘Turn over a new leaf or lose it all’ on Sunday, issued warning to drug magnates and all those still involved in illicit drug trade to desist from such act or risk losing their freedom and assets in 2022.
According to the NDLEA boss, the workforce of the agency have moved into 2022 “with a resolution to rid the country of illicit substances and to continue aggressive pursuit of drug cartels,magnates and traffickers anywhere they may be within the country or even outside.”
He said, “Given our pedigree in 2021, there should be no doubt whatsoever about our capability to carry out these stated objectives. In the past year, we scaled up our capability and reinvigorated our anti-narcotic activities.
“Our efforts have yielded arrests and interdictions. That should be a clear signal to anyone in the drug trade that the rules of the game have changed.
“In 2022, our goals remain the same: to dismantle drug cartels and syndicates, and that include arresting and having drug offenders jailed by the court and ultimately to rid our society of all traces of illicit substances.”
While pleading with them to repent, Marwa said, “There is still a window of opportunity for drug traffickers and barons.
“We call on them to think about the common good; to think about the future of this country; and to think about the young and coming generations. Let commonsense prevail and on your own volition, make a significant contribution towards the effort to have a drug-free society, where peace and harmony reign.”
While emphasising Nigeria’s determination to win the drug war, Marwa said with the full support of President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly, the judiciary and the citizenry, the NDLEA would leave no stone unturned to fulfill its mandate this year.