Marwa urges rulers, leaders to back drug war

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.) has urged traditional rulers, religious and community leaders to champion the campaign against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in their communities.

Marwa spoke at different occasions in Igumale, Ado local Government Area and Otukpo in Benue State on Sunday and Monday respectively.

A statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the NDLEA boss was in Igumale to perform the ground-breaking of the agency’s area command office in the community.

The statement explained that at the palace of the community’s monarch, Chief Joseph Ikor, Marwa urged the traditional ruler to see the siting of an NDLEA office in his domain as a call to mobilise his people to reject substance abuse and support efforts to eliminate access to illicit drugs wreaking havocs in families and communities.

Babafemi added that at the foundation laying ceremony and theinauguration of a 20-kilometre road facilitated by the member representing Ado-Ogbadigbo-Okpokwu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, who incidentally is the Chairman, House Committee on Narcotic Drugs, Francis Agbo, Marwa said, “Both developments are signs of the importance of this community and local government to Nigeria’s welfare and also a testament that communities in the country are not left out of the dividends of democracy by its leaders.”

While commending Agbo for his passion to make Nigeria a drug-free country, he said the lawmaker would soon sponsor a bill to make political office seekers take the Dug Integrity Test, from the lowest position of councillorship to the highest office in the country.

Marwa added, “At the same time, he has also been one of the key drivers of the amendment of the NDLEA Act which we are hopeful will be passed by the National Assembly before the end of the tenure of the Ninth Assembly.

“I will also want to use this opportunity to appeal to the good people of this constituency to do their utmost to ensure we keep our communities clean of illicit drugs. Keeping Nigeria safe from dangerous substances is the mandate of NDLEA; the mandate, however, cannot be attained without the contribution of Nigerians. We have created a vehicle to facilitate the participation of the citizenry, which is the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. It is a social advocacy which we are going to taking to every community in this country. We started in 2021 and in the past two years, we have succeeded in getting WADA to the doorsteps of our people at the grassroots.”

Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.); Igumale monarch, Chief Joseph Oche Ikor and Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Francis Ottah Agbo during a visit to the palace of the royal father in Ado LGA Benue State on Sunday

The statement added that speaking during a WADA advocacy visit to the Ochi’Idoma of Idoma land, Agabaidu Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji John, on Monday, Marwa said traditional rulers as leaders of their people must embrace the campaign against the drug scourge in the interest of the youths, families and the security of their communities and the country as a whole.