- NDLEA boss hails Armed Forces for patriotism, sacrifices
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has hailed the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their professionalism, patriotism.
He praised them for their daily sacrifices in the efforts to curb banditry in the Northwest and other security challenges across the country.
Marwa said this when he hosted the National Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, at the agency’s national headquarters yesterday in Abuja for collaboration between both agencies.
The NDLEA boss said there’s need to support and encourage the Armed Forces, following a viral video of bandits celebrating the “capture” of a military armoured vehicle stuck on a mucky path at Kwashabawa in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
He described the Nigerian military as well placed and capable of containing banditry, like it already contained insurgency in the Northeast.
Marwa urged Nigerians to stand with the military and other security agencies in the ongoing efforts to end security challenges facing the country.
He said: “Man for man; officer to officer; soldier to soldier. The Nigerian Armed Forces personnel are an equal or better match to any of their colleagues anywhere in the world.”
The NDLEA boss said his description explained the success Nigerian military personnel recorded in peacekeeping operations, even before independence, and the reason they are well sought after by the United Nations (UN).
According to him, the exploits of Nigeria’s Armed Forces under the proscribed Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) are still fresh in people’s memories.
“I recall that during my tenure as Defence Adviser in our Permanent Mission to the UN, Nigerian troops were always sought after for their professionalism and effectiveness,” Marwa said.
The NDLEA boss restated the need for all Nigerians to appreciate the sacrifices military personnel make in the service of their fatherland.
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He said: “We must always remember that our men and women in uniform left their families and went to the bush these past 15 years, fighting an asymmetrical warfare in ill-defined territories and an amorphous enemy that easily mixes with the rural population.”
Marwa urged fellow citizens to always show their appreciation to military personnel and their families.
“Our support and goodwill towards our security forces can come in the form of encouraging words, scholarships for their orphaned children, and other empowerment grants to their widows and families, all of which can be channeled through their Service Headquarters,” he added.