News

Kaduna NDLEA Samuel Azige Talks On Achievements And Challenges

Samuel AzigeThe Commander NDLEA Kaduna state command, Samuel Azige defining the role of NDLA in an electoral process; says the agency’s role cannot be undermined as an integral tool to ensuring smooth and violent free election. Aside the arrest of suspects involved in the sales and intake of substances (Indian Hemp) capable of disrupting the peace of a place, the agency through its reformatory and sensitization program is able to check the use and influence of such substances on the consumer. The misconception therefore by many who see NDLA as mere tool of arresting and prosecuting drug offenders should be corrected as the agency has been working round the clock towards ensuring drug free environment come 2015 general election.

In an interview with our correspondent Zainab Tanimu, he opens up on how far and how well the agency has fared. Read…

What is the role of your agency in the forthcoming election?

Yes, the agency has a very important role to play as far as the general election is concerned. This is because the agency is a member of the security council at the national level.

At the state level we are also member of the security council. So also at the local council level, If you look at activities of party supporters during campaigns, then you would know that the NDLA has a lot to play in election matters because some of these supporters are under the influences of substances. If these substances are allowed into circulation then you can imagine what would happen during the election proper. So, when period like this comes the NDLA all over the country, all the formations would try to identify flash points. Raid such flash points in order to get rid of all these area boys who constitute nuisance and problems during campaigns and ensure that there are no drugs in circulation. If these drugs are in circulation, there would definitely be problems.

Sir, you have made several arrests in recent times. How has this been made possible?

Well, the fact is that we work in harmony with other sister agencies. These agencies sometimes stumble into these substances, get the people arrested and transfer the cases to us. So, it has been quite a wonderful synergy with both the government and security agencies.

This also has been made possible principally with the support of our chairman and management who are up and doing in the discharge of their activities here in our command.

Could you in a nutshell tell us how you have been able to carry out your crusade against the indiscriminate abuse of drugs especially by our youth?

Yes, we have carried this crusade in two fronts. These are in the areas of arrests and that of seizures and also in the area of drug demand reduction. We try to create public awareness. We have looked at the whole thing and have realized that arresting people and prosecuting them is not enough. That alone cannot solve the problem and so the agency as one of his mandate is to educate the people by way of enlightening and sensitizing them on the dangers of drug abuse thus creating awareness. This aspect has been very useful. So, when you put these two aspects together, that is, the drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction, the result has been very helpful. Infact of recent, we have been able to make a very big seizure. Quite a quantity of exhibits has been seized from circulation. This has been made possible because of our interaction with other security agencies. That information came from an individual and if not for his patriotism, the information couldn’t have reached us.

See also  HipTV Boss, Ayo Animashaun Cries Out

At what particular location did you uncover the culprit?

Ejiro (Indian Hemp Traficker)The man Ejiro Young in possession of about 3 trucks of Indian hemp was discovered on a trip off at about 5.00am at Kakau village along Abuja Kaduna road. We have been working on that intelligence for a very long time and on the 7th of February, we struck. We discovered that he had these exhibits stored in a warehouse, not where he lives. He has a separate house where he kept the exhibits and had to take us there. There, we discovered that all the rooms were stuffed with the exhibits. Infact, the rooms could not contain the exhibits so he had to use the sock away to store some of them. From the record of arrest available to us, this is about the biggest arrest so far in the northern part of this country. Infact, since the establishment of NDLA.

The disturbing factor is that these exhibits were to be released into circulation the week the general election was supposed to take place in Nigeria. And you know very well that Kaduna is one of the areas that have been assessed to be very volatile. All of us know what happened in 2011, the crisis that started after the election. It started in Kaduna and had to spread to other parts of the country. So we don’t know if he is being used as an agent to perpetuate such an action. Our investigation would expose that. If you follow the campaign rally that have been going on, a lot of youths have been used, There was even attack on the governor’s convoy in certain local government areas and these boys are not doing this things ordinarily. They are doing this under the influence of such drugs. So, I want to commend the officers for their vigilance and dedication for them to be able to make this arrest possible because only God knows the havoc this would have caused. Certainly, it would have been a colossal destruction to this country if this Indian hemp had gone into circulation because the number of people that would have abused it would have been great. So we thank God that it was discovered early enough and gotten it out of circulation.

Sir, if you were to quantify it, how many bags would that be?

The total of 780 and half bags were discovered and when we weighed it on our scale, it gave us the total of 8,241.9kg tons. This is about the biggest arrest because the highest we had in terms of tons in the northern part of Nigeria was 3tons. According to Ejiro, the suspect, the current value in naira is N19,500,000 but with time, the price increases when the stock becomes scarce.

What line of action has your agency taken on this issue?

We are charging him to court there is no other way out. We have already compiled his case file and ready to go to court. Another penalty is that if he is convicted by the court, the house he owns would be forfeited to the federal government because it is believed that the house was built with the proceed realized from the sale of Indian Hemp. All the properties that are in that house would also be forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria.

See also  Timi Alaibe In Trouble

Have you been able to discover the source of this supply considering the large number that is involved?

We are working on that. For obvious reason we want to leave it at that.

Was any weapon discovered?

No. There were no weapons found. What was found were some bank transactions indicating some large amount of money that was paid. We have already forwarded details to our asset and financial investigation department at our head quarters. It is their duty to investigate and if money is found in that account, it would be blocked until the case is determined and the money would also be forfeited to the government.

What would you say are some of the challenges encountered by your agency in the course of discharging its duties?

Ha… A lot of challenges, our major challenge is that of logistic. We don’t have enough vehicles. If we have enough vehicles, I assure you we can go places and the sky would be our limit because I have adequate staff, and we have enough facilities to work with but we do not have the logistics so we are appealing to the state government as well as private and wealthy individuals who have the interest of this state at heart to assist the agency. I have seen it happen in other places where individuals donate vehicles to security agencies because security is all about everybody. Mark you, the issue of drug is not all about NDLA. It is about everybody so everybody should be on board to make things work. Vehicle I must say is our major challenge.

The NDLA has been put on ground by the federal government and we have equally noticed some collaboration between your agency and some NGOs in the drive towards enlightening the public especially our youth on the dangers of engaging in drugs. In the light of this sir, what in your own opinion does the future hold for Nigeria as regards achieving a strong and virile nation?

I must confess that the NGOs in Nigeria are doing very well especially in drug demand reduction activities of the agency. Here in Kaduna to be very specific, we have a number of NGOs that are involved in drug demand reduction. Some of them are into research, some are into awareness program some rehabilitation and all these people put together have been able to compliment the efforts of the agency. You see, people now come out openly to refer their children to us. Before now, they do not come out openly to say, ‘my child is on drugs’ but because of the impact of the NGOs that are collaborating with the agency, this is made possible. I see the future as a very promising one.

The moment the name NDLA is mentioned, what readily comes to the minds of many is the idea of drug offenders being arrested and to be prosecuted. Are you now saying that the activities of the agency go beyond that of arrest and prosecuting drug offenders?

You know, the perception most people have about NDLA is that it is only meant to arrest people and take them to court. They do not know about the rehabilitation program but through sensitization the public is becoming aware that they can also get help. With our rehabilitation program on board, people have been brought to us from different parts of the country and successfully rehabilitated. The boys and young people brought to us here for rehabilitation have gone back to their schools and jobs. I stand bold to tell you that quite a number of them are doing well in their various businesses. So, the job is not just that of arrest and prosecution.

See also  Peter Obi Exposed

Any word of advice

We want to appeal to our young people not to allow themselves to be used as thugs by politicians. To our politicians, we advise that their campaigns be based on issues. Parents should try as much as possible to talk to their children on the dangers of being used as thugs by politicians during election. There is need to monitor the movements of their children because many parents do not monitor the movements of their children as such you find them mingling with people of different character who at the end introduce them to so many vices. Parents therefore need to be more vigilant in knowing the kinds of friends their children move with as well as take note of unusual changes.

I want to thank very sincerely the governor and the government of Kaduna state His Excellency, Dr. Ramalan Yero who has been very supportive to the agency. He has been so helpful to the command in terms of logistic but would still want to appeal that more support be given because Kaduna is about the 5th largest cities in Nigeria and if you look at the size of Kaduna as a city, it means we have lot of work to do and so we need more logistics. We therefore, appeal to His Excellency to consider the allocation of more vehicles to the command so that we would be able to get to most local government areas, for it has not been easy for us to effectively cover the state.

The management of the NDLA has done so much to facilitate the performance of the command. The achievement couldn’t have been recorded without the cooperation and support of the entire staff. I must place on record the dexterity of the OC patrol at the check point whose excellent work has yielded fruitful result. “I therefore charge you all to continue with the good work. Be very vigilant and source for more information so that we can maintain the temple”.

The traditional council I must also commend for being supportive. I want to thank His Royal Highness, the Emir of Zauzzau Alhaji Shehu Idris whose council have been partaking in the agency’s activities and counseling. All the security agents such as the police, Army SSS, Immigration, Custom, The Road Safety and Civil Defense have been very cooperative. Everybody has performed very well, the fact that we have been receiving transfers from all these sisters agencies show the level of cooperation. At the Security Council we behave like children of the same family so I want to encourage them to continue to maintain this relationship so that collectively we can reduce the drug problem in Kaduna state.