Drugs barons relocating from Nigeria over reappointment of Marwa as NDLEA chairman – HURIWA

Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria  (HURIWA), has commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment towards the eradication of hard drugs trafficking and abuses in Nigeria by reappointing for a second term of five years, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd) as Executive Chairman of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

HURIWA in a statement issued on Friday said: ” We can tell Nigerians for free that we just got high valued intelligence that several unrepentant and hardened hard drugs barons from Nigeria are planning their exit .

The group said  many have reportedly fled as soon as indication emerged that President Tinubu was determined to reappoint Brigadier Marwa for another tenure to enable the counter narcotics war to take even much more renewed strategy to defeat hard drugs trafficking and abuses in the country.

“As an organisation working in the area of coordinating public enlightenment against hard drugs habits amongst youngsters in Nigeria, intelligence has just gotten to us that the reappointment of General Marwa has in no small way rattled several gangsters in the underworld of hard drugs business,” the statement said.

HURIWA, in the statement signed by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko,  praised  Tinubu for creating the enabling environment that enables the NDLEA to go all out against hard drug barons even as the rights group recalled with satisfaction that the anti-narcotic  body has  arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, and seized over 5.5 million kilogrammes of illicit substances in two years.

According to the group, the NDLEA Chairman disclosed this in his welcome address during the inauguration of 48 new vehicles for strategic commands and formations on Wednesday in Abuja.

“We have arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, leading to the seizure of more than 5.5 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances.

“These were recovered from our streets, communities, warehouses, border routes, and ports nationwide, with 704.445 hectares of cannabis farms, hidden deep in forests, destroyed,” Marwa was quoted to have said.

HURIWA  also commended  Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN),  for providing phenomenal leadership that drives the achievements of several milestones in the justice and law enforcement sector.

“It is our expectation that the war on drugs is winnable given the renewed zeal and enthusiasm amongst top government officials including Mr. President to take the counter narcotics war to a terrific and phenomenal level,” it added.