Wipe out drug cartels – Marwa orders Lagos State commandant

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA),  Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retired) on Tuesday ordered that the agency should  completely wipe out  drug cartels  in Lagos State.

Marwa gave the order when he visited the agency’s command in Lagos  for an  on-the-spot assessment of its facilities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NDLEA boss is on a three-day familiarisation and assessment visit to  the various commands of the  agency in  Lagos state  including other entities that are of strategic importance to  the operations of the agency.

Marwa, who decried the high rate of illicit drug trafficking in Lagos State, said that the state is responsible for 30 per cent of the  total  drugs abusers in the country.

He said: “ In the country, an estimate of 15 million people  belong to one or more aspects of  illicit drug dealing.

“ This means about 4.5 million people in Lagos State are into illicit drugs,” he said.

Marwa said some of the factors responsible for  the illicit drug scourge in Lagos  State include: the  huge population, the presence of two seaports and airports and a huge number of unregistered medicine sellers.

According to the  NDLEA chairman, there are about 1.58 million patent  medicine  stores in the country.

“Out of the figure, only 58,000  patent medicine outlets are registered while about 1 million others  remain  unregistered.

“ This has  really enhanced sales  of illicit drugs in the state,” Marwa said.

He, however, commended the agency’s commandant in Lagos State, Mr  Ralph Igwenagu  on his efforts at ridding the state of illicit drug trafficking and abuse.

“ It is only through the  combined efforts of all the officers that the  agency can win the fight against drugs, “ Marwa said.

Marwa reassured officers of his commitment to improved conditions of service for enhanced effective service delivery.

“I know this command needs a befitting edifice. This will be worked on as soon as possible,” he said.

Igwenagu commended the NDLEA’s boss for according Lagos State’s command utmost attention within his short time of assumption of office.

He said  that the command would speedily intensify efforts  to achieve his directive, to ensure  ‘a drug  free Lagos State”.

Igwenagu said that  the command arrested 471 drug offenders in 2020 in spite of the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that  the arrest comprised 424 males and 47 females and added that the offenders were arrested at various locations in Lagos.

“”This year,  the command seized 11,798 kilogrammes (over 11 tons) of various illicit hard drugs and 722.31 litres of same illicit drugs (liquid) from dealers and joints in the state,” Igwenagu said.