60 NDLEA Officers Killed By Barons - Olujimi

About 60 officials of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have
lost their lives since the inception of the Agency to criminal barons in
horrific circumstances without discrimination to tribe, tongue, sex or
creed of the victims.

This information was disclosed yesterday in Lagos by the Attorney General
of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akin Olujinmi, during the
2004 Red Ribbon Day in commemoration of NDLEA narcotic agents who died in
active duty.

In a paper read on behalf of the minister by Bola Odugbesan, there is a
very serious linkage between drugs and crimes as most criminal activities
in the country have drug connections.

"The drugs make them bold and courageous to the extent that they maim,
kill, rape and destroy. The roles of drugs in conflict, communal clashes,
ethnic and sectarian crisis across the nation are also well documented. The
recent events in the Niger-Delta are good illustrations of the effect of
drugs on civil liberties and security," Olujinmi said.

The minister observed that criminal drug dealers cannot arm-twist and
intimidate them through cold blooded murder and blackmail to discourage
NDLEA from its objective role of building a peaceful and democratic nation
free from the pains, sufferings and hopelessness that drug cause, adding
that drug dealers offer no constructive alternative to the hopeful future
that the citizenry is craving for.

While pledging his commitment to continue to support and equip NDLEA with
the best material and training opportunities to make their job more
effective and efficient, the Attorney General enjoined Nigerians to
remember the friends and relations of men and women whose lives were
changed for ever.

He said each day in their mind, they replay the images of the horrific day
each officer was brutally murdered, noting however that by wearing the red
ribbons, they have embraced a new image of hope and resolve to eradicate
drugs from the society.