Marwa: Life Jail Awaits Drug Laws Violators
By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is proposing life imprisonment for drug law offenders in the amendment to the agency’s Act before the National Assembly.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), announced this yesterday at the weekly ministerial briefing coordinated by the Presidential Media Team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He explained that the amended Act would eliminate the fine option for offenders.
The former Lagos State Military Administrator (MILAD) said in the amended Act, the minimum sentence for drug law offences would be 15 years, while the maximum would be between 25 years and life jail term.
Marwa said he had discovered a criminal racket, which had been making it possible for jailed drug barons to go free without serving their sentences.
Asked if politicians would be affected by the proposed penalties, he said: “Definitely. At least, we’ve mentioned one in Lagos because he was caught with drugs. But I will not mention names of people that we’re investigating, obviously. The politicians, yes; they are involved, like every other part of the society.
“The jail sentences we’re looking at are minimum of 15, maximum of 25 and life. Those are all in the NDLEA Act that is under revision at the National Assembly.
“We’re working with the Prisons. There was a time – and this was information that I stumbled upon during PACIDA – that some of the barons, who had been jailed, somewhere between the courtroom and the jail, are released; they don’t serve the sentence. I came across this in PACIDA.
“But with the interaction that I had in the correctional services, right from them and some of the visitations, it was made clear that this happened. But (that was) in the past, in the distant past. Now, the correctional services are upstanding and they are doing their level best.
“We had an arrest some few months ago in one of the prisons, supported by the head of that particular prison, about the involvement of some of the people there, in passing drugs into the prisons. So, I must commend the correctional services that they are upstanding as far as this is concerned.”
The NDLEA boss estimated the value of drugs and cash recovered from barons at over N100 billion, confirming that the amount had been remitted into the Federation Account.
According to him, from January 25, 2021 till date, more than 2.7 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs have been seized.
Marwa also said one among seven Nigerians uses illicit drugs; one in four is a female and 14.4 million Nigerians are currently under the influence of illicit drugs.
The NDLEA boss pegged the number of drug-related offences filed in court at over 5,000, involving 9,355 arrested traffickers, including six drug barons.
As at the last count, he said, the agency had rehabilitated 5,579 drug users, with 20 per cent of drug users seriously addicted.
Marwa listed the challenges facing the NDLEA as the absence of proper accommodation, like dedicated barracks for workers and their family, poor welfare scheme, among others.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had made efforts to compensate about 188 officers who were killed in the line of duty.
– The Nation
