Nigerian military capable of containing banditry – Marwa

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has called for more support for the nation’s security forces in their efforts to curb banditry in the North West and other security challenges in parts of the country.

He made the call on Tuesday when the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Maj-Gen. Adamu Laka visited him at the NDLEA’s National Headquarters in Abuja to seek collaboration between NCTC and NDLEA.

Marwa commended the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their professionalism, patriotism and daily sacrifices for a secured Nigeria.

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Tuesday said that there is need to support and encourage the Armed Forces following a viral video of bandits celebrating the ‘capture’ of a military armoured vehicle stuck in a mucky path in Kwashabawa, Zurmi local government area of Zamfara State.

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Marwa said that the Nigerian military is well placed and capable of containing banditry like they already contained insurgency in the North East.

He urged Nigerians to stand with the military and other security agencies in the ongoing efforts to end all security challenges facing the country.

“Man for man, officer to officer, soldier to soldier – the Nigerian Armed Forces personnel are an equal or better match to any of their colleagues anywhere in the world,” Marwa said.

He said this explains their success in peacekeeping operations even before independence and the reason why they are well sought after by the United Nations and that the exploits of Nigerian armed forces under ECOMOG are still fresh in memory.

Marwa said, “We must always remember that our men and women in uniform left their families and went to the bush these past 15 years, fighting an asymmetrical warfare in ill-defined territories and an amorphous enemy that easily mixes with the rural population.”

Speaking earlier, Gen. Laka said he came on the visit to seek collaboration between the NCTC and NDLEA because of the strong nexus between drugs and crimes.

He noted that with over 50,000 arrests in three years, the activities of NDLEA have disrupted crimes, and struck a significant blow to the criminal organizations as well as activities that thrive on illicit drugs and substances.

“We all know the nexus between drug abuse, crime and terrorism. We know that drugs fuel various forms of criminality, including terrorism by providing financial resources and impairing judgment, thus contributing to violent extremism. This nexus underscores the importance of a holistic approach to combating these threats.

“We have state-of-the-art laboratories at the centre. We have toxicology lab, DNA lab, fingerprint lab, data extraction lab, and so on and these labs are open to you. I would like a situation whereby we can collaborate with the NDLEA to fight threats of terrorism in the country,” Luka said.