The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has called on its personnel to continue the fight against illicit drugs, saying the war is a generational responsibility that requires resilience and long-term commitment.
The call was made in Abuja by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), while he was honoring 274 personnel for outstanding performance.
The 12th Chairman/Chief Executive Officer’s Commendations and Awards ceremony also recognized 18 best performing commands and 19 non-governmental and media organizations for their contributions to Nigeria’s campaign against drug abuse.
Marwa said the threat from drugs continued to evolve with trafficking networks creating new routes and ways to evade law enforcement.
“The war on illicit drugs is not a campaign with a sunset. It’s a generational responsibility,” he said.
“Every cartel we take down, there’s another one that’s trying to come up, according to intelligence. “Every corridor we shut down, traffickers will find another way,” he added.
“The persistent nature of drug trafficking, the NDLEA chief said, calls for the sustained commitment of the agency and its partners.
He stressed that drug trafficking and substance abuse could not be overcome by enforcement alone, and pointed to the important roles played by civil society organizations and the media.
Civil society groups help to prevent addiction and support vulnerable young people in communities, while journalists help to draw public attention to trafficking routes, rehabilitation efforts and families rebuilding their lives after addiction, he said.
“Enforcement alone was never going to win the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse, Marwa said.
He said civil society and media organizations had a multiplier effect on the agency’s efforts, taking anti-drug messages into homes, schools and communities.
Marwa quoted recent operations such as the dismantling of the Amadi Simon drug cartel and two Nigerian-Mexican cartels of methamphetamine operating in forests in Ogun and Oyo states.
He also disclosed the dismantling of a tramadol cartel operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor, which he said had been fueling opioid abuse among Nigerian youths for years.
“These were not ordinary attacks. “These were the result of patient intelligence gathering, cross-border co-operation and officers willing to go where the criminals thot no one would follow,” he said.
Marwa advised the award winners to take the award as a benchmark to emulate, not a ceiling to their performance.
He also called upon civil society organizations and media groups to treat the recognition as a challenge to intensify their campaign against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
The chairman of the NDLEA congratulated all the awardees and appreciated Nigerians for their continued trust in the agency as it tackles the country’s perennial problems of drug trafficking and substance abuse.
