Drug barons funding Bandits and BokoHaram insurgencies in Nigeria says Lawan
They are doing this to distract the Security agencies from their dirty business,The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said on Thursday
Drug barons provide the Boko Haram and bandits with funds to procure arms and ammunition and wreak havoc in Nigeria.
He stated this when the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Buba Marwa, visited him at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Adding that drug traffickers have made Nigeria a major transit route for their trade.
“The National Assembly members are at interaction with constituents and we know the very debilitating impact of drug abuse in our communities.
“You have rightly said almost every community in this country suffers from drug addiction. So, we are very mindful of what is happening.
“I believe that this agency needs restructuring now that you have taken over.
We should go the whole haul to restructure the agency, not piecemeal touches, because we need to get it right.
“My personal opinion is that NDLEA should be in the league of EFCC, ICPC, and should get the kind of support that these agencies receive.
You should receive something like that, in addition to many other things that you should be supported with.
“The National Assembly will definitely partner with you, and we owe you everything to enable you discharge your mandate.
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“Having said this, let me say that Nigeria as a country is a transit route for drugs.
“Drug peddlers pass their drugs through Nigeria – cannabis, heroin, and possibly even cocaine.
“We believe that this has to stop, because the proceeds of such activities fund terrorism.
They fund banditry, you wonder how the bandits have RPGs and these massive arms that they have.
“Drug barons funding Bandits and definitely these are some acquisition they provide, not the bandits themselves.
“So, we need to ensure that this transit role that Nigerians plays gets a proper address. And here we have to approach this through multi-sectoral efforts – the Customs, Immigration Service, our Security Agencies, and in fact, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and our seaports.
In his address, Marwa said the Ninth Senate has displayed great interest and support in the effort to review the NDLEA Act.
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