The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has announced that recent overseas training for its officers will significantly deter drug cartels from shipping cocaine into Nigeria. Marwa’s remarks came as he received a report on the training of two NDLEA officers abroad.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the report was presented by the NDLEA Director of Seaports Operations, Omolade Faboyede. Marwa highlighted that the officers’ new diving capabilities, enabling them to search ship hulls, will serve as a strong deterrent to global drug networks considering sending large consignments to Nigeria.
“Their new ability to dive into the sea to search ship hulls will no doubt discourage global drug networks from attempting to send any large consignment to Nigeria, knowing full well that our men now can search every nook and cranny of ships and vessels coming to Nigeria,” Marwa stated.
The statement revealed that two NDLEA Marine Command officers were among eight officers selected from four countries by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for certification training in Bombinhas City, Brazil. The training occurred in two phases, first in November 2023 and then in July 2024.
Marwa emphasized the significance of this training: “The recent training and certification of officers of the Marine Command of the NDLEA in basic diving, advanced open-water diving and full-face mask diving will discourage large shipments of cocaine to Nigeria.”
Babafemi noted that the UNODC initiated the diving training to bolster the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime activities in Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal. The second phase aimed to qualify professionals certified in basic and advanced diving in public safety diving to conduct ship hull searches, enforce the law, and ensure public safety in combating transnational drug trafficking.
