Buba Marwa has charged officers and men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s Strike Force Corps to be “ruthless” and “smoke out” drug barons and cartels.

“With the training and graduation of these officers and men today, we serve a notice to the drug barons and cartels who are yet to get the message to quit the criminal trade.

“These well-trained officers and men are coming to smoke them out as a formidable force anywhere in the country. As we equip and arm you well, be ruthless with the criminal gangs and merchants of death, the NDLEA chairman said.

Mr Marwa gave the directive on Monday in Kaduna at the graduation ceremony of 143 officers of the Strike Force Corps at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji.

Describing the drug scourge as unacceptable, with almost 15 million Nigerians abusing substances, 20 per cent of who were addicted, and three times the global average, Mr Marwa said this necessitated the formation of the Strike Force Corps.

He said the Strike Force Corps was the tip of the spear in the agency’s interdiction efforts, and so must keep the tip sharpened and always ready to strike, imploring the officers to display professionalism, discipline and respect for human rights in their operations.

(NAN)