allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Can NDLEA Tackle Booming Drug Trade in Maiduguri? (Page 1 of 2)

The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Borno state command is up in arms to curtail the seemingly intractable drug trade in the state.

The illicit drug market in Maiduguri is widely believed to be illimitable because of the following reasons: the state serves as a trans-border terminal for illicit drugs en route Chad, Niger and Cameroon, while the Cosmopolitan nature of the state with the largest chunk of people in the North-Eastern sub-region makes the demand for contraband leap over supply, making the state an irresistible destination for drug dealers.

From June 2007 to date, the NDLEA in the state has apprehended over 148 drugs dealers, carriers and peddlers, as stated in the records of the command. But some analysts said, "these arrests are only a fraction, if this trend is to be curbed in the state, because, drug trafficking especially that of Indian hemp either to satisfy the demand in the state or, the ones that are smuggled to sustain the armed strive in some countries bordering Borno state, "demand daily arrest not only of pocket dealers in the state but trans-border carriers as well."

Dr. Wale Ige, the state commander said, "Borno state has one of the largest land borders in the country. The state borders three countries namely, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger republic. Our efforts in controlling and stemming illicit drug trafficking into and within Borno state and across the borders have started building positive results." One of the command's biggest arrests was that of a Peugeot 4O6 adorned with a staff flag and an FG plate Number Loaded with 343 blocks of Indian hemp in its rear boot. The driver of the 4O6 car, Israel Ebieroma who was referred by his friends and customers as Alhaji Bakason Babu or Dangote, in the illicit drug industry, always posed as a military Lieutenant beating security checks from the South to Maiduguri each time he made a trip.

According to a pocket dealer in Maiduguri (name withheld), "Each of the blocks costs N3,000 in Maiduguri and over N5,000 in the border towns". So, if Israel had made that trip, he would have made about N1,715,000. And according to this dealer, Israel earned the name Dangote or Alhaji Bakason Babu because, "he is very smart and prudent" and makes such trips sometimes twice in a month which may explain why after his arrest and sentence in 2005 he bought another brand new Peugeot car to resume his business.

While drug dealers buy posh and fast moving cars for their businesses, Sunday Trust investigations revealed that the Borno state command of the NDLEA only has one functional patrol vehicle criss crossing its four area Commands in the state. The Command said it relied upon many parents and well meaning Nigerians to curtail the drug trade.

"If drug trade is the heart of society's, ill, why would an organisation that has the mandate to control illicit drug trafficking be made to be helpless and cash trapped while politicians and even their wives move in fleets of cars with armed security men to attend personal functions but our security operatives oftentimes don't make trips to crime scenes when alerted because of lack of vehicles and other logistics," said Barrister Shaibu Abari in Maiduguri.

When Sunday Trust met Dr. Ige with the question of poor or lack of operational vehicles and other facilities said to be affecting the work of the agency in the state, he declined making comments but stated that, the immediate requirements of his agency are "at least one 4-wheel drive in each of the area commands in the state, two motor bikes in all the entry and exit points into Maiduguri and two patrol vehicles at the head quarters. I believed with this, we can do more than what we are doing now".

Sunday Trust reliably learned that the agency had requested both the Borno state government and the NDLEA headquarters for operational vehicles but it received none. But "we believe very soon these governments will act because an effective NDLEA will help the work of the Customs, Police, NAFDAC and the society at large," said Dr. Ige

However, according to Abari, the failure to empower agencies like the NDLEA to carry out their duties may be deliberate. "These drug dealers are very influential. The cultivation of most of this drugs is done in the backyards of many top government officials. So how can you stop the trade in Maiduguri while you support the cultivation in the south," said Abari. But Dr. Ige disagreed and contended that it is not only the responsibility of his agency to stop the cultivation of Cannabis.

"Drug is an issue that is best tackled holistically and there are certain concepts and models that we know that can help but we have limitations as to the extent on how far we can push our ideas. Is it not possible to introduce alternative development because most of these people aiding the cultivation are living in misery, is it NDLEA that will say, look, this people need pipe borns water etc. Honestly, it goes beyond looking at it as an NDLEA affair," said Ige.

September, October to January are sure periods of harvests, when dealers buy from local farmers and in turn, distribute within and across the country, as gathered by this correspondent.

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