The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has proposed to partner with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to rid the nation of illicit drugs.
The request for synergy was proposed by the NDLEA Commandant of Kano State Division, Mr. Abubakar Idris Ahmed during his recent courtesy visit to ICPC Kano State Office, stressing that he needed to work in partnership and in synergy with ICPC to defeat criminality.
“No single agency can defeat criminality alone in Nigeria, but the value and performance of the NDLEA, combined with that of ICPC would be greater than only the effort of NDLEA fighting the menace of illicit drugs in Nigeria”.
Mr. Ahmed further stated that “behind every crime, the motivating factor is money. This is where the two agencies should collaborate. It is critical that we establish a relationship so that we can achieve greater successes in drug law enforcement. The majority of crimes committed in the country today are committed while under the influence of drugs”.
On his part, the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner (RACC) of Kano State, Mr. Ibrahim Garba posited that there was a relationship between illicit funds and illicit drugs trafficking, thus the need for NDLEA and ICPC to move quickly to check illicit financial flows and drug trafficking in Nigeria.
Garba expressed his delight with the request for synergy and added that the Commission had always welcomed inter-agency collaboration with other law enforcement entities in its crusade against corruption, because it recognized that the war on corruption and crime could only be won through a collaborative approach.
The highlight of the event was the recognition of the ICPC RACC as an Ambassador for the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) by the NDLEA Commandant Kano, on behalf of the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd).