We Are Tackling Drug Cartels Headlong – Marwa; Commends South-east On Mkpuru Miri

By Uche Mbah

Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohamed Marwa, Rtd, has assured Nigerians that the Agency has set up a special task force across the country to deal with drug cartels behind the production and distribution of methamphetamine, also known as Mkpuru Mmiri in local parlance.

Answering questions from journalists during a press briefing at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja Monday, he asked communities to own up to the war on drugs.

Monday 24th January, 2022 was his first anniversary as Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA.

Mkpuru miri has become the drug wrecking havoc among the youths, particularly in the South-east. But the South-east is tackling the menace locally by flogging, humiliating and shaming of both dealers and consumers. Part of their deterrent action involves public flogging.

Marwa was represented by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi.

“If you look at the preponderance of the dealers in drugs, I’m not saying anything new but the South-east has the predominance and that’s a fact. Who are the Boko Haram people? I know they are not Yoruba and I know they are not people from Edo, but if you go to the North West and ask who are the bandits, I know they are not from Cross River or from Lagos”, the statement said.

“If you ask the people doing the human trafficking, the women, you know from where. So definitely, we have the preponderance of the drug dealers from the South East, but what more do you have; the greatest efforts by communities to rid the country and their communities of drug use is from the South East.

“Clearly, in the same South-east,  they are doing two things; first, they are telling their fellow travelers who are not decent, that look ‘you are the very few who are spoiling our names here. Stop it!’

“And more importantly, they are riding their communities of drug abuse, they have taken the ownership of the war themselves against drug abuse especially the Mkpuru-Mmiri. By the way, we have set up a special task force to face that challenge and very soon you would hear and see the results of our efforts.

“In essence, what I am saying is that, I am now taking the South East as an example, for all the other communities in Nigeria. This war has to start from the bottom, from the communities; set up your War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, Committees.

“In every community, you are the ones who know those patent medicine stores that sell drugs, the mai shayi, those at the corner ends of the streets who sell and hawk drugs, you know the traffickers and you know those who use them.

“Take this war to your communities because you know these people, cleanse your communities, and take the ownership of this war and the NDLEA will always be there to back you up.

“However, the NDLEA does not and will not support the flogging of the culprits and some of the other human rights abuses. We will be there to support with counseling and treatments. And I urge the entire country to take an example of the ownership of the war against drug abuse from the South East,” Marwa stated.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, National Assembly, Minister of Justice and other stakeholders including international partners such as UNODC, EU, and foreign governments as well as local CSOs and NGOs for their dupport, while stributing the success of the past yesr to God.

The NDLEA boss listed  some of his achievements for the past year as the arrest of 12, 306 suspects, 7 drug barons; convicting 1, 400 offender and seizure of over 3.4 million kilograms of drugs.

“The Agency has come a long way. And there is still a long way to go. We have a clear vision of where we are headed, and there is a roadmap to that destination.

“Today, the improvement in our fortune as an organisation is driving the NDLEA workforce to continue to push for the attainment of organisational goals and fulfillment of our core mandate of securing our country against the drug scourge. We all believe in the vision of the new NDLEA and we are committed to its mission. Our mandate is to ensure a drug-free Nigeria. We shall continue to play our role towards the achievement of that goal.”