Beginning from 2024, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will be visible in all 774 local government areas of the country as the fight against illicit substances moves to a higher dimension. This is a welcome development. It is a surprise that the Federal Government has not deemed it necessary to declare a national emergency on drug abuse. With insecurity engulfing the nation, one does not have to look far to see that drugs play a major role in the bloodletting.

Chairman of the NDLEA, Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), has been on the move trying to find a way round not just junkies and their sponsors; he has also brought some respect to the paramilitary agency. Under him, jumbo accomplices have been apprehended. With NDLEA offices all over the country, we expect improvement in service delivery. What Marwa plans to do is, go beyond Zonal, State and Area commands. This, of course, means that more hands will be needed to realise this objective.

By the end of 2023, the entire NDLEA workforce will move up to 15,000. This number, as large as it looks, may not be enough to penetrate all the villages and wards in the country. However, with technology so much more can be achieved. Marwa and his team should think more about intelligence gathering. This will be a huge task, no doubt. What is needed is the will to improve on the present policy.

The drug war should go beyond arresting offenders at the airport or pursuing vehicles loaded with marijuana on our roads. Every corner of the country is infested with drugs. From secondary schools to tertiary institutions, nowhere is safe. Night clubs and hotels also look attractive to those who do drugs. Some of the parties organised in those environments are laced with illicit substances. As cultism continues to grow among the younger generation, use of hard drugs plays a disturbing role.

Many young men and women, who did not know about drugs, get a feel for the first time when they are initiated into cults. And this happens regularly. Hundreds of those who hide under the cloak of militancy are into drugs. When you see gory pictures of captives being beheaded or sliced like potatoes, it is the work of illicit substances which turn men into beasts. Repentant terrorists have told their stories. In the North-East, where life has become a nightmare, many of those who join Boko Haram are recruited from the rural areas.

With enough Intel, NDLEA operatives, who will be posted to the local government, can do as much as expected of them. In the South, there are more hotels and nightclubs springing up than industries. This should be of interest to the NDLEA. There must be proper scrutiny of the people behind these new investments. As a follow-up, operatives should be planted around them. Intel means infiltrating the various cult groups. This will expose more than how they procure arms to carry out deadly operations.

Those who lead the operations are always on drugs. Mixing with them will unearth the source of their supply. Perhaps Marwa should take a step further. There could be a bill, through the National Assembly, empowering the NDLEA to oversee night clubs through compulsory issuance of licence. The idea is for every operator to be duly registered by the NDLEA. The Federal Government must fund the NDLEA adequately.

Insecurity is not just about procuring arms and ammunition. Drugs fuel insecurity and if the environment is sanitised of illicit substances, there will be less bandits and terrorists to fight. Funding also means improving the welfare of NDLEA operatives. Drug barons are super rich. And with their illicit wealth they can easily buy their way out of the reach of the law. A poorly paid enforcement agent will weigh his/her stomach above the job.

When criminals know the bank details of those who go after them, less will be achieved by the law enforcement officers. Intelligence demands constant training. It also needs collaboration with sister agencies and foreign partners. Here, Marwas experience should come to bear. He was once Nigerias High Commissioner to South Africa and as an army officer, worked at the Nigerian Embassy in the United States.

In the last two years, the NDLEA confiscated about 7,000 tons of illicit substances. Improved Intelligence and the planned expansion will see more positives. The country needs an effective body to fight the drug war. (Channels TV)