Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says the Nigerian military was well placed and capable of containing banditry like they already contained insurgency in the North-East.

Mr Marwa said this on Tuesday in Abuja when the national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Adamu Laka, paid a courtesy visit to the NDLEA’s headquarters.

The NDLEA boss commended the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their contributions to tackling banditry in the North-West and mitigating various security threats in different parts of Nigeria.

“If the same security forces have been able to contain the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, which was once far worse than the present banditry in the North-West, they will in a matter of time end the criminal activities of non-state actors in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, and other parts of the region,” said Mr Marwa.

He said there is a need to support and encourage the armed forces following a viral video of bandits celebrating the “capture” of a military-armoured vehicle stuck in a muddy path in Kwashabawa, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

“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.

“This explained their success in peacekeeping operations even before independence, why they are well sought after by the United Nations, and why the exploits of our armed forces under ECOMOG are still fresh in memory.

“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,” he said.

Mr Marwa said that rather than fall for the propaganda of criminal elements, Nigerians should stand up for massive and unequivocal support to the armed forces and other security agencies in diverse ways.

He commended Mr Laka for the visit while expressing confidence in his ability to succeed at his NCTC task.

Speaking earlier, Mr Laka said he visited to seek collaboration between the NCTC and NDLEA because of the strong nexus between drugs and crimes.

Mr Laka said that with over 50,000 arrests in three years, the activities of NDLEA have disrupted crimes and struck a significant blow to the criminal organisations as well as activities that thrived on illicit drugs and substances.

“We know that drugs fuel various forms of criminality, including terrorism, by providing financial resources and impairing judgement, thus contributing to violent extremism.

“This nexus underscores the importance of a holistic approach to combating these threats.

“We have state-of-the-art laboratories at the centre. We have a toxicology lab, a DNA lab, a fingerprint lab, a data extraction lab, and so on, and these labs are open to you,” he said.

He stressed the need to collaborate with the NDLEA to fight threats of terrorism and the need for sensitisation campaigns on drugs and crimes.

(NAN)