The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has called for improved funding to enable it effectively curtail the activities of drug cartels in the country.
The Chairman of the agency, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, made the call in Abuja while appearing before the House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes.
General Marwa who stressed the need for more arms and ammunition and the purchase of boats to deal with the drugs traffickers, added that the agency has created a marine unit.
“The drug cartels were becoming wary of the nation’s airports and Seme border and had resorted to using boat to perpetrate their heinous crime,” he added.
The NDLEA Chairman, therefore, urged the committee to consider substantial improvement in funding the agency, if it desired to arrest the peddling of illicit drugs in the country.
According to him, to build barracks across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja to increase the agency’s capacity to accommodate additional five thousand personnel currently undergoing training.
Responding the Chairman of the committee, Francis Agbo, said the N38. 2 billion in the 2022 budget proposal for the agency appeared inadequate, considering the enormity of it work.
Mr Agbo, while kicking against the legalization of the use of cannabis in Nigeria, commended the NDLEA boss for reforming the agency within a short period of time.
“I urged you not to relent in your his effort to make Nigeria drugs smuggling free and I am assuring you of the house support to ensure that NDLEA succeeds in that regard.” Mr Agbo stressed.
He pledged that the committee would work to ensure that NDLEA was considered a priority agency.
PIAK
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