Senate President Ahmad Lawan says the National Assembly will work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to ensure that drug barons no longer fund the purchase of arms and ammunition used by bandits.

Mr. Lawan said this while receiving the Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, who paid a visit to his office on Thursday, Channels TV reports.

He stated that drug peddlers had made Nigeria a transit route and, in the process, funded terrorism and banditry.

Stressing the impact of drug abuse on the country, the lawmaker said the agency needed restructuring and should be supported to discharge its duties properly.

Mr. Lawan explained, “Now that you have taken over, we should go the whole hog to restructure the agency, not piecemeal touches because we need to get it right.

“So, the National Assembly will definitely work with you, we will partner with you, and will ensure that we do our best to give you the kind of support that will enable you properly to discharge your mandate.”

While reiterating that Nigeria is a transit route for drugs, the Senate president said the issue needs to be addressed by all security agencies.

“Having said this, let me say that Nigeria as a country is in one way or the other 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.

“Definitely, these are some acquisition provided by some barons, not the bandits themselves.”

Speaking further, he noted, “So, we need to ensure that this transit role that Nigeria plays is addressed properly. 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.”

Admitting that the task would be a difficult one, Mr. Lawan stated, “But we have to be steadfast and we should do whatever is possible without the limited resources we have to make you better.”