The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Leo Irabor; the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya; the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, have pledged to support the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said the military chiefs made the commitment in separate meetings with the agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.).
The statement reads: “While meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Marwa commended the Armed Forces for their sacrifice, patriotism and gallantry to keep the nation safe and secure. He expressed the agency’s appreciation for the collaboration and support from the military.
“He added that the visit was to seek more ways to strengthen the existing partnership with the Armed Forces. ‘There’s no doubt that illicit drugs fuel and enhance criminalities, hence the need for more collaboration; a partnership that is mutually beneficial because when the problem of drugs is taken out of the security challenge equation, the military will have less to do in tackling terrorism, banditry and kidnapping’,” Marwa said.
“He called for the adoption of drug tests within the services and more support in the areas of intelligence sharing, training, logistics and operational back up.
“In his response, Gen. Irabor commended Gen. Marwa for his laudable achievements within a short time of assuming leadership of NDLEA.
“While stating that the military was willing to accede to Marwa’s requests, the Chief of Defence Staff said: ‘The work of NDLEA needs to be sustained and supported because we’ll have less to contend with, if the drug issue is largely resolved and taken care of.’
“The Chief of Army Staff stressed that ‘we’ve always supported NDLEA and will continue to do so because we’ll like to be associated with the successes you are recording in the agency.’
“Yahaya added that drug trafficking is a grave one and offenders deserve stiffer punishment to serve as deterrence. He assured that there’s a standing instruction to Army formations to always support NDLEA operations.
“Similar promises were made by the CNS and the CAS, who both promised logistics support in the areas agreed upon as well as collaboration.”
