Until the early 1980s, drug trafficking was relatively unknown in the country. The arrest of three Nigerians by the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari brought the illegal drug trade to the fore.
However, the trio of Bartholomew Owoh, Bernard Ogedengbe and Lawal Ojulope were found guilty by the Justice Adebayo Desalu tribunal and made to face the bullets. Years later, trafficking in drugs became a thriving ‘business’ even as mules could not be deterred by the surveillance mounted by government operatives. Between January and April 2015, no fewer than 25, Nigerians were executed abroad for drug related offences.
About 132 others are on death row in Singapore. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA] at the weekend raised the alarm over the increasing number of Nigerians in various prisons abroad.
Just last week, a 32 year-old courier, David Ikechukwu and his friend, Patrick, were arrested at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport after disembarking from an Ethiopian airline flight from Kenya. While Ikechukwu ferried 60 wraps of cocaine, Patrick ingested 72. Both were promised huge sums upon delivery. But this never happened as they were caught by the long arm of the law.
Today, Nigeria is battling to eliminate the thriving illegal drug trade business. Danger posed by hard drugs had propelled the government to establish the NDLEA with a mandate to exterminate trafficking and its consumption in the country.
The NDLEA is saddled with the responsibility of ridding the country of drugs especially their importation, exportation, sale, transfer, purchase, cultivation, manufacture, extraction and possession. Specifically, the agency is Nigeria’s deliberate attempt to work in tandem with global effort to rid it of this cankerworm within its borders. NDLEA was established by Decree 48 of 1989, now Act of Parliament.
Twenty-six years on, illicit drug trade is on the rise. Are the laws enacted to tackle drug related offences not effective? Is NDLEA ineffective to curb drug trafficking? If yes, does Nigeria need tougher laws like other countries of the world where death is the ultimate price for mules or traffickers? As a matter of fact, existing laws are more than enough to curb the illicit drug trade.
Death penalty cannot serve as a deterrent although countries with death penalty for couriers are already being avoided by drug barons. Nevertheless, there is need to strengthen NDLEA’s enforcement capacity particularly in the area of trafficking and drug abuse and proper public education on the dangers of drugs.
The agency needs adequate funding, to train its personnel. If this is done, drug traffickers will avoid Nigeria as they avoid the United States and the United Kingdom because of availability of necessary equipment.
Although the challenge is not the small drug mules that are being apprehended every day at the nation’s airports, it is on how to apprehend drug czars who are behind the syndicate. This, unfortunately is missing as the government has not really shown commitment in the fight against drug barons.
Also, there is the need for the strict implementation of the existing laws as the nation does not need any new law just as the laws must produce results first if Nigeria must make progress with a view to curbing drug trafficking. Government must review its policy on job creation as masterminds of this illicit business often say they were lured into it as a result of lack of job. Job creation can play a role as the saying goes: an idle hand is the devil’s workshop.
So, it is for the government to address the nagging issue of youth unemployment in the country. Until the problem of youth unemployment is addressed, incidence of drug trafficking in the country will continue unabated. Although NDLEA has limitations, it needs to be better equipped to meet the drug challenge in the 21st century.
Capital punishment or stiffer penalty would not serve a deterrent as found out in Malaysia and other countries with death penalty . Despite imposition of capital punishment in these countries, drug trafficking is still on the rise.
Nigeria does not need death penalty as the laws are in place to effectively tackle drug trafficking. Apart from the laws, there is a need for people to be enlightened on the dangers involved in carrying drugs just as the institutions need to be strengthened.
Although this does not preclude a review or amendment of the law in respect of the forfeiture of assets, a situation where anyone caught trafficking in drugs will be stripped bare will deter others. In other words, assets of the person involved would be confiscated . In this case, the person who ferried and those who introduced him or her into the business should have their assets forfeited.
The laws must be amended in a way to ensure that NDLEA is capable of performing its duties as poverty would never be an excuse for taking to crime just as the government also has a duty to create employment for its people.
