Since Brig Gen Buba Marwa, rtd, assumed office as the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in January 2021, it is safe to say a lot has changed about the anti-drug agency. Activities have picked up with a frenzy that is markedly different from what obtained before he took the saddle.
On his first day in office on January 18, 2021, Marwa had made it clear it would no longer be business as usual for those involved in the illicit drug business. The NDLEA Boss had hit the ground running and after 17 months in the saddle it has become evident to all that the fight against drug abuse has come to stay.
Marwa had acknowledged the deep rooted problem of drug abuse in the country, and vowed, as the lead agency in the drug war in Nigeria, to resuscitate and re-position NDLEA to full active life, to be effective, respected and feared.
One of Marwa’s earliest efforts was summoning Commanders of the agency in all the states of the federation and special commands with marching orders to mop up illicit drugs across the country.
Since then, drug busts and arrests on an unprecedented scale have become commonplace across the country. It is pertinent to point out that in carrying out this assignment, there is no special regard for the high and mighty as the Agency pursues its mandate without fear or favour, not minding whose ox is gored. An indication of this has been the arrest and ongoing prosecution of former Commander of the Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari, and other senior police officers over his alleged involvement in a 25kg cocaine deal in February this year.
In June this year, the agency secured the conviction of two persons, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, linked to the drug trafficking case involving Abba Kyari.
Marwa said Kyari’s arrest is a clear message of the agency’s commitment in the fight against drug abuse. He said those given the responsibility to fight crime, which includes the matter of drugs, cannot themselves be proponents of it.
Addressing reporters recently on the achievements of the Agency, so far, Marwa said said 17,647 offenders including 10 drug barons have been arrested between January 2021 and May 2022.
He said more than 2,369 of them including one baron have been convicted and jailed within the same period.
He added 154,667.339kg of drugs have been seized in the first five months of this year alone.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the unveiling of the 2022 United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, he said 8,000 drug users were counselled and rehabilitated, in most cases through brief interventions in 2021.
He added that in the first five months of 2022 an additional 3,523 were also counselled and treated in NDLEA facilities.
Marwa said, “As an anti-narcotic agency, our capacities are being daily optimised to face the continuously changing threats of illicit drugs. In the last 16 months, officers and men of NDLEA have been through a series of training facilitated by UNODC and allied partners.
“Still, the best solution to the drug problem remains a preventive approach, which is one of the big goals of our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign presently being rolled out across the states of the federation.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we can say that we have made some gains in our collective effort to tame the drug menace. There is an obvious change in society’s posture towards the abuse and trafficking of illicit substances. In this regard, we want to thank every one of us for playing positive roles.
“I want to especially thank His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for his unwavering support for the Agency. I also want to thank UNODC for the continuing support that gives us leverage in areas that were once difficult grounds for us.
“NDLEA also thanks our sister agencies, stakeholders, foreign partners and the media for their support. Our partners in the NDCMP, including the Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) whose roles are critical to the success of the ongoing anti-drug campaign.
“While we still have a long way to go in our objective of a drug-free country, we are nonetheless happy with the progress made thus far; it is an indication that our desire for a wholesome society is not farfetched, but a legitimate desire that is achievable.”
Adopting novel ways to tackle the drug problem, the Agency also recently launched a toll-free drug abuse call centre in Abuja in its resolve to broaden access to quality health care for drug users in the country.
This, Marwa said, became a necessity and a strategic intervention in the determined effort to bring the increasing cases of drug use disorder and related health concerns under control.
Marwa said the helpline service which would be 24/7 has been simplified by making it language-sensitive whereby callers have the choice of language including English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo.
He said the call centre would be manned by a team of licensed and credible clinical psychologists, counsellors, support workers and mental health professionals who would provide the needed support in aiding recovery, managing social and emotional problems, improving quality of life and enhancing performance and productivity of the users of the service.
He added that with its state-of-the-art equipment and its team of highly trained professionals in substance abuse disorder, the centre would offer a teletherapy service according to global best practices.
The NDLEA Boss said the Agency recognised the importance of providing a safety bubble for users who ordinarily cannot access the conventional treatment services at established rehabilitation centres due to poverty, social stigma and the resultant discrimination attached to being an identified drug user in society, among other factors.
He said a toll-free helpline that guarantees anonymity, confidentiality and safety, is a motivation for those in need of health help to freely seek such.
Marwa, said besides helping to provide telephone-based psychosocial support and addiction services in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), it will also provide them with information that will deepen the understanding of the country’s dynamics of drug use and “potentially put us ahead of the game.”
He said, “The importance of treatment in addressing the drug challenges cannot be overemphasized, especially given the magnitude of drug abuse in Nigeria. The step we are taking today will be appreciated by those who have a good grasp of the consequences of the patterns of abuse exposed by the 2018 UNODC National Drug Use and Health Survey.
“Except we want to indulge in self-delusion, having 14.3 million people abusing drugs¯and an abuse pattern that includes polydrug use, widespread abuse of pharmaceutical opioids and a sizable number of People Who Inject Drugs¯comes with grave health consequences.
“The recently released World Drug Report 2022 noted that: People in need of treatment cannot get it, women most of all. Women account for over 40 per cent of people using pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes, and nearly one in two people using amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), but only one in five in treatment for ATS is a woman. This global picture gets gloomier when localised to Africa, and our country in particular.
“The report also drew our attention to the fact that the suffering of those struggling with addiction is needlessly compounded when people cannot access evidence-based care or are subjected to discrimination. We are also informed by the report that the consequences of drug use can have ripple effects that hurt families, potentially across generations, as well as friends and colleagues. This last one is a clarion call for society to accord priority to the treatment of drug users.
“Indeed, the country has treatment centres, and indeed NDLEA has 26 treatment facilities; but these are grossly inadequate in the face of the statistics from the National Drug Use Survey. The situation is further worsened by access challenges due to social labeling and stigmatization faced by drug users.
“Ladies and gentlemen, NDLEA recognised the importance of providing a safety bubble for users who ordinarily cannot access the conventional treatment services at established rehabilitation centres due to poverty, social stigma and the resultant discrimination attached to being an identified drug user in society, among other factors.
“Therefore, the inevitability and the utility of a toll-free helpline that guarantees anonymity, confidentiality and safety, as a motivation for those in need of health help to freely seek such.
“To those in need of help, we open a new chapter today, whereby help is just a phone call away. We have simplified the helpline service by making it language-sensitive whereby callers have the choice of language including English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. And very importantly, the helpline is open 24/7. A call to the helpline, 0800 1020 3040, elicits a prompt response from professionals, regardless of the time or geographic location.
“The calls open the door to engagements with counsellors, followed by service orientation that leads to case management, at which point the engagement moves from telephone assessment to follow-up therapy sessions and referral. This seamless process ends in Resolution and Aftercare Follow-Up. Given the simplicity of the process, there is no valid excuse for not accessing treatment by drug users and their concerned families. We expect those concerned to take advantage of this opportunity.”
In acknowledgment of the efforts of the Marwa-led NDLEA in fighting drug abuse, the Agency has achieved various local and international collaborations towards achieving its mandate.
So far, Marwa has lived up to his words, that it would not be business as usual for those involved in the drug business and with no sign of easing off the pedals it seems clear those still involved in such illicit activities have tough times ahead.