NDLEA’s diving capability ‘ll discourage cocaine shipments to Nigeria –Marwa

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has said that the recent training and certification of officers of the Marine Command of the agency in basic diving, advanced open water diving and full-face mask diving will discourage large shipments of cocaine to Nigeria.

He said this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a report of the training from the agency’s Director of Seaports Operations, DCGN Omolade Faboyede.

Marwa said the new capability will send a strong message to international drug cartels that they have no place to hide their illicit consignments on any ship or vessel coming to Nigeria.

Eight officers were selected from four countries including two from Nigeria by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to undergo the certification training in Bombinhas city, Brazil in two phases; first in November 2023 and then July 2024.

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According to the UNODC, the diving training was initiated to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime activities for the four countries: Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Senegal.

The second phase of the training was 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.

While commending the two NDLEA officers who participated in the training and certification programme for their exemplary performance, Marwa said 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 have the capacity to search every nook and cranny of ships and vessels coming to Nigeria.”

He said the agency would continue to be steps ahead of drug cartels in skills and capability with a view to ensuring that they have no means to smuggle illicit drugs into Nigeria.