The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) has approved special promotion for eight officers of the Marine Command of the agency.
The promotion which was accompanied with issuance of commendation letters followed the officers’ bravery and professional conduct during a recent operation where drug traffickers were arrested and operatives interdicted canoes and boats moving illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria through the Lagos waterways.
Speaking at a brief ceremony to decorate the officers with their new ranks at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, Marwa said, “Every time we have a breakthrough, it tells the world a story about the new NDLEA we are working hard to build. It also reinforces our conviction as an organisation that we are on the right track. So, an occasion such as this is a source of pride for me.”
On the reason for the special promotion and commendation, Marwa said, “In this case, we have officers who exhibited bravery and an unwavering sense of duty in the face of adversity on the waterways to thwart an attempt by a criminal gang to smuggle 60 jumbo bags of illicit drugs from a neighbouring country.
“Despite obvious attempts to thwart our interdiction bid, our officers were resilient and prevailed over the situation. It is in recognition of their gallantry that they are given special promotion and we are holding this ceremony to decorate them. This is keeping with our culture of rewarding hard work, results and sacrifice.”
The NDLEA chairman who also handed the officers commendation letters further said the reward scheme is also part of the sweeping reforms he instituted in the past three years to motivate officers to raise their performance level.
According to him, “Under this scheme, we have instituted the bi-annual Command Awards and Commendation as well as special promotion for deserving officers, among other measures. I must say that the eight officers I will be decorating shortly showed bravery and dedication to duty and are deserving of a reward.”
It would be recalled that on August 23, 2024, the Special Marine Squad received actionable intelligence at 3am and immediately swung into action during which they intercepted a boat along Alfa beach, in Lekki, Lagos.
Another boat was equally sighted during the operation. “They however faced some unfavourable encounter in the process of intercepting the second boat, but in the face of violent provocation, our officers did not lose focus, as they went ahead to recover the exhibits.
“They were able to seize 60 bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 2, 400 kgs. They successfully arrested a suspect, Hambo Tete, 30, who is Ghanaian and impounded the exhibit boat powered by three outboard engines.
“The action of these officers in the night was significant for two reasons. First, it is an affirmation that we have been successful at making the normal trafficking routes through the airport and land borders impenetrable. Hence, traffickers seeking alternative routes are trying to turn to the waterways.”
Speaking further, Marwa said “the second significance is that such traffickers will meet their Waterloo even on the waterways because of the presence of our Marine Command. Those who have been following the development in NDLEA are aware that we now have a full-fledged Marine Command with well-trained divers.
“In the recent past months, we have been reinforcing the command with equipment and training for which we are grateful to the UK Home Office International Operations. What this crop of officers did is a loud statement to trafficking organisations that NDLEA will continue to work with other security agencies and stakeholders to ensure that our waterways are not safe routes for drug traffickers just as the airports, seaports and land borders.”
Addressing the promoted officers and their colleagues across all commands and formations, Marwa charged them on the need to sustain the momentum of the agency’s trajectory and also protect the integrity of the job. “That entails that we should be mindful of our actions and activities in the line of duty or off duty.”
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