The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), announced that the recent training of the agency’s Marine Command officers in diving will significantly deter large shipments of cocaine to Nigeria. Marwa made this statement upon receiving a report on the training from the Agency’s Director of Seaports Operations, Deputy Commander General of Narcotics, Omolade Faboyede.
In a statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday in Abuja, it was highlighted that this new capability will send a strong message to international drug cartels that hiding illicit consignments on ships or vessels coming to Nigeria will no longer be feasible.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the officers underwent training in basic diving, advanced open-water diving, and full-face mask diving. Eight officers were selected from four countries, including two from Nigeria, by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for certification training in Bombinhas City, Brazil, in two phases: November 2023 and July 2024.
According to the UNODC, this diving training initiative aims to bolster the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime in Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal. The second phase of the training qualified professionals in public safety diving to conduct ship hull searches and enforce the law, thereby enhancing public safety in the fight against transnational drug trafficking.
Marwa commended the two NDLEA officers who participated in the training for their exemplary performance. He stated, “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. This is so, knowing full well that our men now have the capacity to search every nook and cranny of ships and vessels coming to Nigeria.”
The NDLEA boss affirmed that the agency would continue to stay ahead of drug cartels in skills and capability to prevent the smuggling of illicit drugs into Nigeria. “We will also continue to expose our officers, men, and women to training and the use of modern technological tools. This is in our determined bid to keep our country safe by curbing the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking,” he added.
