From Godwin Tsa Abuja
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mohammed Buba Marwa, has ordered commanders and special commands of the agency to mop up illicit drugs across the country or face the music.
Besides, the new NDLEA boss has proposed drug tests for all tertiary institution students and government appointees.
Marwa, who issued the order yesterday at a meeting with state commanders and special commands of the agency in Abuja specifically charged them to either “shape up or face the music.”
Speaking at the meeting, the NDLEA boss disclosed plans to seek governments approval to conduct drug tests on tertiary institutions new students, security agencies fresh recruits and all newly appointed government employees.
He charged all commanders to be desirous of keeping drugs out of Nigerian streets and homes.
Marwa further charged the commanders of the agency “to shape up and get all those engaged in the nefarious business to face the music.
“All commanders must be desirous of keeping drugs out of Nigerian streets and homes, and so all of you must shape up and get all those engaged in the nefarious business to face the music, and I need results from now on. Our maxim will be offensive action. This means we must go all out constantly on the offensive against the bad guys.
“The success we make of this particular task goes a long way to determine the socio-economic stability of the nation. We need not be told of the nexus between drug use, crime and criminalities. The exponential growth of the nefarious drug activities can be directly linked to the upsurge in crimes such as insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery, gangsterism, rape and other maladaptation bedeviling todays Nigeria.
“It is not going to be business as usual. It is a moving train. Please, let no body stand in its front. The train will crush any such person. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”
In his message to drug crime perpetrators, Marwa warned them to embrace other trade or face the wrath of the law.
He said: “To the unbending drug crime perpetrators, I would like to let them know also that the game is up! It is high time they embraced another trade. The Federal Government policy on Agriculture is a window for them to leverage on.”
He said he would put more efforts on drug demand reduction as part of plans to eradicate the scourge in Nigeria.
“While strengthening our enforcement activities, we will equally devout a lot of efforts to prevention, treatment and after care and focus on family/parenting, community, school systems.”
