NATIONAL DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (NDLEA) EXPANDS NATIONWIDE OPERATIONS

Lagos

A major restructuring aimed at re-positioning the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) throughout the federation has been effected by
the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Alhaji Bello Lafiaji.

A statement signed by the assistant director, public affairs of the agency,
Mr. Jonah Achema, stated that the organisation has been delineated into 37
State Commands, which are made up of the 36 states and Abuja.

According to Achema, nine special Area Commands, have also been established
including Murtala Mohammed Interna-tional Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja.

Others are the five major seaports in the country, Seme and Idiroko land
borders which have been split into two special area commands. Top-level
officers have been appointed to head the state and area commands.

The statement said the agency had operated a Zonal Command structure
previously where one command comprised two or more states and quoted the
chief executive of the agency as saying: "with the creation of the State
Commands, the agency has now been repositioned to pursue more vigorously
its sole objective of bringing about a drug free society".

Lafiaji said the restructuring was in line with the need to expand the
status, scope and coverage of the agency's operation. He said under the
former zonal structure, the impact of the agency could only be felt
directly by the immediate states where the zonal headquarters of the agency
were located.

"We cannot remain in one state and launch an offensive to the other states
and the hinterland and expect to have the desired result", Lafiaji stated.

He continued: "Besides, we need to expand the scope of coverage in view of
the fact that the problem of drug abuse and illicit trafficking is becoming
more extensive and intensive, especially the locally produced drugs like
cannabis and other addictive substances such as rubber solution and lizard
faeces".

He said it was not enough for the agency's operatives to be arresting
cocaine and heroine peddlers, whereas Nigerian children were getting hooked
to these locally produced drugs and addictives adding that the previous
zonal arrangement did not allow NDLEA's physical presence in all localities.