The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is seeking collaboration with the Nigerian Army in the area of training and for professional support to boost the fight against illicit drugs and drug trafficking in the country.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, stated this on Wednesday when he visited the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja. He explained that the fight against drug abuse, like other enforcement campaigns, needed further training of NDLEA personnel to enhance operational efficiency.
The NDLEA boss attributed most crimes in the country to drug abuse, adding that over 15 million Nigerians – between the age of 16 and 64 – indulge in the use of illicit drugs. According to him, there is a nexus between drug abuse and criminality as a result of irrational behaviour associated with illicit drugs.
Marwa believes criminals such as kidnappers, terrorists, and bandits among others perpetrate their evil acts under the influence of drugs. He was hopeful that if the menace of drug abuse was checked, the crime rate in Nigeria would drop.
