Buba Marwa, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has indicated that combating drug trafficking will help the fight against insecurity.
This was disclosed by the NDLEA chairman during an advocacy visit to the security agencies’ headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Marwa met with Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff; Faruk Yahaya, head of army staff; Awwal Gambo, chief of naval staff; and Oladayo Amao, chief of air staff, according to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi.
He said his visit was to increase collaboration between the NDLEA and security services to confront terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping while stressing that the illicit drug trade is escalating criminal activities in the country.
“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,” he said.
He recommended that military officers be subjected to drug tests, and he thanked the armed forces for their assistance to the agency.
More collaboration is also needed in the areas of “intelligence sharing, training, logistics, and operational backup,” according to Marwa.
