The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has given assurances that the Nigerian Army, NA, will continue to support the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, in tackling the menace of drug trafficking and abuse.
The Army Chief gave the assurances today, 16 December, 2021, when the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa led officers of the agency on a courtesy visit to the COAS at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
TheFact Nigeria reports that the NDLEA boss had called for a robust partnership between the Agency and the NA in curbing the menace of substance abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
General Marwa pointed out that the abuse and illicit trafficking of drugs in the country have assumed a worrisome dimension, disclosing that several youths are now into substance abuse.
He further maintained that there is a nexus between drug abuse and the current state of insecurity in Nigeria, and restated that as the lead agency in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria, NDLEA will remain steadfast in its operations in order to ensure a drug free society.
Marwa attributed most of the terrorists and banditry activities witnessed in the country to substance abuse, and gave reassurances that the NDLEA was committed to a robust collaboration with the NA in its operations to drastically reduce the menace of drug abuse and other criminalities.
While lamenting the ruin that the effect of substance abuse had wrought on many homes in the society, Gen. Marwa also used the medium to appreciate the NA for the training support provided to the NDLEA Academy, and commended the NA for the sacrifices, patriotism and gallantry in tackling security challenges in the country.
The COAS, who assured that the NA under his watch, will continue to support the NDLEA in discharging its constitutional mandate, further noted that drug trafficking is a grievous crime, and advocated for decisive action against drug traffickers and other related crimes in the country.
He urged the agency to engage the youths constructively, through sensitization and awareness campaigns that would proactively stem the menace of drug abuse in the society.
