Crime
HURIWA Names NDLEA Boss, Buba Marwa Man of The Year
HURIWA Names NDLEA Boss, Buba Marwa Man of The Year
By: Micheal Mike
The leading and foremost civil rights advocacy group; the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has named the Executive Chairman of the Nigerian Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Buba Marwa the Human Rights Man of the Year for 2022
HURIWA in a statement in lieu of the December 10 International Human Rights Day described Mohammed Buba Marwa as the most influential Nigerian in 2022, adding that he is one person who has officially and personally affected the news and lives more than any other Nigerian from whatever standpoint one looks at it.
“Several polls conducted have shown a clear consensus that Mohammed Buba Marwa is one Nigerian who has personally and officially affected the news and lives of Nigerians the most in recent times, with his very aggressive but human rights-based approach to drug policy.
“In just 24 months, Marwa has not just earned the image of the protagonist of the most topical human rights and developmental issues but as well distinguished himself as a courageous and insightful leader who understands the urgent need to embrace a multi-dimensional and holistic approach that aims to mitigate the harm done by drug use instead of the retrogressive traditional just-say-no-ism of past Chief Executives”, HURIWA noted.
The statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator; Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko further revealed the many areas, NDLEA has been seen to be blazing the trail in drug law enforcement and how the approach adopted by the Marwa-led administration is winning the confidence of Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora.
Highlighting the innovative approaches adopted by Marwa, HURIWA defined him as a very focused and assiduous person who plans, asserting that his tenure as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA), which laid the groundwork for the total overhaul of NDLEA, ensured he arrived at NDLEA with a blueprint.
“Within 24 months, his plans are taking shape and it is obvious to the public that he and his management team are caught in a historic moment and process of rebuilding NDLEA into an institution that will stand the test of time.
“One of the approaches adopted by Marwa is the collaboration with the Nigerian movie industry in the drug war. In his view, millions of young people watching Nigerian movies, even as they admire star actors, will be easily sensitised on the dangers of drug abuse through didactic stories.
“To achieve this, NDLEA opted for the United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking to release engaging flicks that will aid their work. For the second year in a row, NDLEA has celebrated the UN Special Day with new movies.
“Again, the seizure of a massive crack cocaine haul in September, which was described by the spokesperson of the Agency as “the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotic agency,” tells volumes about the new life Marwa has breathed into the agency.
“Also, the arrest, detention, and ongoing prosecution of the highly decorated policeman; DCP Abba Kyari, who seemingly lived a secret life of serial criminality while allegedly fighting crime is the defining initiative of NDLEA under the former military governor’s watch”, HURIWA said.
READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/reuters-mercenary-journalism-and-nigerian-military/
Continuing, HURIWA informed that Marwa’s NDLEA is making a strong overall impact beyond high-profile cases. A fact-finding mission by HURIWA revealed that 19,341 drug traffickers were arrested between January 2021 and September 31, 2022, in addition to securing 3,111 convictions, and seized 5,451,000kg of illicit drugs within the same period.
More so, cash and drugs worth N420 billion were forfeited to the agency, while cannabis farms of 714 hectares were destroyed within the period under review, just as the group added that the agency is prosecuting over 3,232 cases in court and has also counseled and rehabilitated 12,326 drug addicts within the same time frame.
No doubt, in a country where issues are profoundly politicized and achievements of public officers viewed with distrust and x-rayed for ulterior motives, HURIWA stated that Marwa has proven to be an exception.
“Nigerians both home and in the diaspora from all walks of life, across political divides, from different religious leanings, and of diverse ethnicities, are in one accord in their appraisal of him, his reforms, leadership, and transformation of NDLEA – a testament to the Nigerian dream.
“Discussions about him invariably always narrow down to the question of what makes Marwa tick as a leader. But more than that, he has been revealed as the ideal 21st-century leader who irrespective of extenuating factors, has shown noticeable commitment to democratic ideals and issues of development
“Beyond this, Marwa has continued to advance a pragmatic approach to giving the NDLEA workforce improved work conditions. So far, there have been promotions, payment of allowances, and other constructive developments that give hope to the Agency’s staff.
“Many pundits and the media have termed his tenure so far as different in the annals of the Agency. Within 24 months, his plans are taking shape and it is obvious to the public that he and his management team are caught in a historic moment and process of rebuilding NDLEA into an institution that will stand the test of time”, HURIWA further explained.
Therefore, HURIWA acknowledged that 23 years after leaving the military in his mid-forties, Mohammed Buba Marwa is back in the headlines in a very different role from combatting armed robbery or addressing food contamination to making a high-profile impact in a prominent public position in the nation’s drugs fighting agency – Thus Human Rights Man of The Year for 2022
While informing that the award investiture will be done at a later date before the year ends, HURIWA calls for all stakeholders to support the commitment and will of the Marwa-led administration in helping the Agency continue rising to the challenge of its mandate in eliminating the cultivation, processing, manufacturing, sale, trafficking, and use of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances.
HURIWA Names NDLEA Boss, Buba Marwa Man of The Year
Four Drug Lords Get 28 Years in Jail, Forfeit VGC Houses, Large Cash
By: Michael Mike
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has gotten for drug kingpins arrested in connection with the historic seizure of 2,139.55 kilogrammes of cocaine at an Ikorodu residential estate in 2022.
They were convicted by a Federal High Court, Lagos presided over by Justice Yellim Bogoro who sentenced them to various jail terms totaling 28 years with hard labour.
The convicts: Soji Oke, 71; Wasiu Akinade, 55; Emmanuel Chukwu, 67; and Kelvin Christopher Smith, 44, a Jamaican, were charged with six counts in charge number: FHC/L/607C/2022 in October and December 2022, while the trial of the fifth suspect, Oguntolure Sunday arraigned along with them is still ongoing in court.
The charges border on conspiracy to form and operate a drug trafficking organisation (DTO); management and financing of a DTO; importation and possession of 2,139.55 kilogrammes of cocaine, among others.
A press statement on Thursday by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi read: operatives of a special operations unit of NDLEA had in a well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation on Sunday 18th September, 2022 raided a house located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, Lagos where the over 2.1 tons of cocaine were seized, the largest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s anti-narcotic operations.
He added that the drug kingpins were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between the night of Sunday 18th and Monday 19th September, 2022.
Babafemi said after over two years of diligent prosecution, the trial judge handed the Jamaican, Kelvin Smith four years imprisonment with hard labour; Emmanuel Chukwu got a total of 16 years; Soji Oke got five years with hard labour and Wasiu Akinade three years with hard labour.
He disclosed that the trial judge however gave the convicts varying options of fine with the exception of one of them who will serve his full jail term without an option of fine.
Babafemi said they were also to forfeit a grey colour Toyota Tacoma SUV marked AAA-734HT registered in the name of Emmanuel Chukwu; $50,000:00 belonging to Chukwu; N55,099,509.50 also belonging to Chukwu; the sum of N9,003,168.06 belonging to Wasiu Akinade and N3,052,295.20 also belonging to Akinade.
The spokesman said the agency also in another suit marked FHC/L/MISC/672/2024 and filed before Justice Bogoro on 9th December 2024 after an initial interim forfeiture order, secured the final forfeiture of two houses linked to members of the drug cartel.
The trial judge said: “That an Order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Landed Property/House Number 6 Olokunola Street, Sholebo Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos State, as contained in Exhibit NDLEA 2A, 2B, and 2C attached to this application used for the storage and concealment of 2,139.55 kilogrammes (More Than Two Tons) Cocaine, an illicit substance similar to Heroin and LSD.
“That an Order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Landed Property/House Number J9, Road 3, Close 1,
Victoria Garden City (VGC) Estate, Lagos, Lagos State, as contained in Exhibit NDLEA 3 attached to this application reasonably believed to be bought with proceeds derived
from trafficking in illicit drug substances (proceeds of crime) as in relief 1 of this Motion.
“That an Order is granted directing the sale or disposal by any other means provided by law of the forfeited House/Landed Property by the Applicant and the payment of the proceeds therefrom to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending all the officers and men of the agency involved in the extensive investigation and prosecution of members of the drug cartel, said the case is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll not only go to jail but will equally lose all their investments in illicit drug consignments including all the properties and wealth acquired through the criminal trade.
Four Drug Lords Get 28 Years in Jail, Forfeit VGC Houses, Large Cash
Troops Arrest Suspected Gunrunners in Plateau State
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have arrested two suspected gunrunners during a sting operation in Bokkos Town, Plateau State.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects, identified as Mr. Kenneth Mayas, 31, and Mr. Bulus Yilfo, 60, were apprehended at a hideout in White House Hotel on Friday while attempting to procure an AK-47 rifle for N1.45 million.
Both suspects hail from Forop District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
During the operation, troops recovered the cash sum of N1.45 million from the suspects, who are believed to be part of a larger criminal syndicate.
The sources said the arrested suspects and the recovered money are currently in custody for interrogation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate.
Troops Arrest Suspected Gunrunners in Plateau State
Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings
. Deploy new skills, tools across airports operations, Marwa charges officers
By: Michael Mike
Selected Commanders and officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have undergone series of trainings in Advance Passenger Information System (API) and Passenger Targeting/ Intelligence Gathering as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen NDLEA’s operational efficiency at the country’s major airports.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, which facilitated the trainings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and Abuja, the workshops were designed to enhance the capacity of the Agency’s Commands at Airports to target and intercept high-risk passengers, cargo and mail, to help combat illicit drug trafficking. They will also help to facilitate communication and coordination between countries of origin, transit and destination in order to destabilise illicit cross-border flows and criminal networks.
While the Commander of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Strategic Command of NDLEA, ACGN Usman Ali Wadar and his counterpart at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, CN Mohammed Ajiya participated in the six-day training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 13 other officers drawn from the MMIA and NAIA Commands took part in the five-day training that held in Abuja. They are all expected to impact the knowledge and skills acquired during the sessions on their other colleagues.
The trainings were funded by the European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States under the AIRCOP Airport Communication Project, implemented by the UNODC.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the facilitators: Ms. Fabienne Russel of UNODC and Anderson Leme Siqueira of Brazilian Customs Administration for taking their time to be in Abuja for the training after the engagement in Abidjan.
He equally praised the two NDLEA Commanders and other officers who participated in the Abijan and Abuja training sessions for their interest and commitment. He charged them to immediately reflect the new skills and tools in their operations across the international airports in the country.
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Friday 20th December 2024 Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings
. Deploy new skills, tools across airports operations, Marwa charges officers
Selected Commanders and officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have undergone series of trainings in Advance Passenger Information System (API) and Passenger Targeting/ Intelligence Gathering as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen NDLEA’s operational efficiency at the country’s major airports.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, which facilitated the trainings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and Abuja, the workshops were designed to enhance the capacity of the Agency’s Commands at Airports to target and intercept high-risk passengers, cargo and mail, to help combat illicit drug trafficking.
They will also help to facilitate communication and coordination between countries of origin, transit and destination in order to destabilise illicit cross-border flows and criminal networks.
While the Commander of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Strategic Command of NDLEA, ACGN Usman Ali Wadar and his counterpart at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, CN Mohammed Ajiya participated in the six-day training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 13 other officers drawn from the MMIA and NAIA Commands took part in the five-day training that held in Abuja. They are all expected to impact the knowledge and skills acquired during the sessions on their other colleagues.
The trainings were funded by the European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States under the AIRCOP Airport Communication Project, implemented by the UNODC.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the facilitators: Ms. Fabienne Russel of UNODC and Anderson Leme Siqueira of Brazilian Customs Administration for taking their time to be in Abuja for the training after the engagement in Abidjan.
He equally praised the two NDLEA Commanders and other officers who participated in the Abijan and Abuja training sessions for their interest and commitment. He charged them to immediately reflect the new skills and tools in their operations across the international airports in the country.
Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings
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