Presidential Committee Vows to Unmask Importers of Illicit Drugs at Nigerian Ports

By ZION Olalekan |

Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PADECA), led by Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) has vowed to unmask importers of illicit drugs through Nigerian ports.

Marwa made the call on Thursday while interacting with heads of security agencies and stakeholders at the Apapa port in Lagos.

The former Lagos Military Governor called for collaboration among security agencies at the port in order to checkmate importation of illicit drugs into the country.

According to him, the aim of the meeting was to avail the committee the opportunity to interface with stakeholders with a view to identifying and proffering solutions to the prevailing issues of drug and substance abuse in the country.

He said the committee as part of its mandate had visited luxury drivers union in Kano on the need to shun illicit drugs from drug peddlers and border towns where most of the illicit drugs are usually transported from.

According to him, “Drug abuse will only happen when there are drugs and therefore in blocking the supply of drugs, we have to come to the major point of entry for the importation which is the port.

“We have also been at the airport in Lagos, Kano and the land borders through Nigeria and Niger. So the visit is to see how the security agencies including Customs, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and others will work together and know what challenges they are facing and see how we can support them towards cutting importation and exportation of drugs.”

He added that the committee will also collaborate with clearing agents to help identify unscrupulous importers who are into importation of harmful substance and illicit drugs into the country.

Director of Port Inspection, NAFDAC, Prof. Samson Adebayo said that shared intelligence among stakeholders is needed to nip in the bud the menace of drug abuse.

He decried the 100 percent physical examination of cargo at the port, which he said has resulted in slow pace of cargo clearance even as called on the committee to help intervene to get functional scanners at the port.

According to him, “It is a shame we don’t have a single functional scanner at the port. You get to Benin Republic, they have just about five or seven scanners but they are defective. We are giant of Africa but giant in size, not ready for action and do the right thing. The committee should take it upon itself so that we get functional scanners. This will help our work among sister agencies.”

While responding to complaints of lack of functional scanners at the port, the committee Chairman assured that the problem will form part of the report for intervention of the government.