“Drug trafficking, like terrorism and arms smuggling, represents a growing
threat to global peace and security. Many lives are lost daily around the world.
Activities of drug cartels have turned the world into a global village, thus
making international partnership among drug law officers, donors and
international institutions inevitable.”
These were the words of the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Ahmadu Giade as he cajoled members of the international and local communities, not to relent in the joint war against drug trafficking. To strengthen the fight against narcotic drugs, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are also working with the Nigerian government to improve regional and international cooperation.
Investigations revealed that Nigerian criminal groups are heavily involved in drug trafficking, especially shipment of heroin from Asian countries to Europe and America and cocaine from South America to Europe and South Africa. The large numbers of ethnic Nigerians in Indian, Pakistan and Thailand give their gangs ready access to around 90% of the world’s heroin.
“In the United States, Nigerian drug traffickers are important distributors of heroin, from importing it into the country to distribution level and selling it to lower-level street gangs,” Wikipedia findings revealed, adding that: “These criminal groups are also known to launder drug money through domestic football clubs in the Nigerian Premier League and are rumored to make additional money through match fixing activity within football matches.” The EU Ambassador, Michel Arrion and country representative of UNODC, Ms. Mariam Sissoko, who were recently at the NDLEA Headquarters in Lagos State, avowed their unwavering support in the ongoing battle against drug traffickers across the globe.
Arrion stressed the need to curtail the activities of drug syndicates through collaboration, adding that EU was providing funds for Project NGAV 16 – Response To Drugs and Related Organised Crime. Arrion said: “At inter-continental level,the European Union finances a number of projects as part of the Cocaine Route Programme. The Cocaine Route programme, with a budget of over 30 million Euros, covers 36 countries of which half are in Africa, essentially West-Africa, five in the Caribbean countries and the remaining in Latin and Central America.”
Sissoko said: “We’re working with the NDLEA to assist the Agency progress towards an intelligence-led organisation, equipped to deal with the challenges of the ever changing drug industry. We commend the chairman and senior management of the NDLEA for decisively embarking on the change management process that is required to strengthen the intelligence-based response of NDLEA to drug matters.”
Giade noted: “This project demonstrates EU’s willingness to assist countries in the implementation of international drug conventions. It will also provide appropriate framework for regional drug control programmes. The challenges posed by illicit drug cultivation, trafficking and abuse are enormous. We, therefore, believe that through shared responsibility, greater progress will be made in addressing the illicit drug phenomenon.”
Giade enumerated some benefits of the EU project to Nigeria and West Africa. He said that the project will enhance technical and operational capacity in frontline agencies leading to targeted interventions on drugs and organized related crimes in Nigeria. It will also help to manage drug abuse counseling, drug treatment and rehabilitation through the creation of a reliable network of quality drug treatment service providers.
During the interactive session, it was gathered that the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2015- 2019, a policy document for drug control was almost finalised. The master plan contains new ideas and new control approaches which will be implemented in the next four years. The EU procured 100 desktop computers for the smooth takeoff of a Data Exchange Centre. This will help to establish an evidence-based approach in addressing the challenges of illicit drugs in the country.
Sissoko said that the project was first and mainly a joint undertaking between the government of Nigeria and the European Union which had agreed on the key objectives of the project and have also decided to designate UNODC as implementing agency. She further stressed that, “response to drugs and related organized crime in Nigeria aims at supporting Nigeria’s effort in addressing drug production, trafficking, and use.
“The project design places equal emphasis on drug demand reduction and drug law enforcement, and is informed by international and best practices and a human rights approach.” Sissoko also stated that the project has among its key beneficiaries, not only NDLEA, but also NAFDAC, the police and customs.
Buttressing her speech, Arrion said that reliable data about drugs trafficking and drug abuse in Nigeria was required, stating that under the project, two full-scale national surveys on cannabis production and drug use in Nigeria were currently being conducted by UNODC in close cooperation with NDLEA, with all necessary means, including Satellite images being used to measure the scale of cannabis cultivation to questionnaires related to drugs.
He urged people to work towards the same objectives, whether they are working in the bush, city, streets or in offices. Arrion said that the reason Nigeria was offered the support, was because they wanted people on the ground to make use of the latest technologies available. He added, “It’s for this reason that the European Union is supporting the equipment capacity of NDLEA.”
He further said that the project will provide the relevant equipment to people on the ground such as drug test kits and laboratory chemicals for drug identification and laboratory analysis, and also that handing over 115 computers to the NDLEA, was to increase the capacity of drug law enforcement and related organised crime, to prevent or interdict drug trafficking and related crime.He stated that drug traffickers deserved no mercy, that they are to be arrested and sentenced.
According to Arrion who said that the project will go on for about 50months, they were ready to perform a full scale survey of cannabis, and also to give new strength to Nigerians. Arrion said the EU was funding a large-scale project, adding, “This project is supporting Nigeria’s efforts to fight illicit drug production, trafficking and use and to curb related organised crime, including counterfeit narcotics and psychotropic substance.”
Arrion said that response to drugs and related organized crime in Nigeria, with a total budget of 36million Euros financed by the European union has 3 main objectives; to support policy formulation and increase drug legislation and coordination of the sector, to improve law enforcement capacity in drug control and tracking organised drug related crime, and to enhance drug prevention, treatment and care services adapted to Nigerians conditions.
“The problem of drug trafficking and abuse knows no national bodies. We’re partners because we’re all convinced that drug trafficking is one of the major threats to human security, affecting the social, economic, political and cultural development of our societies,” said Arrion.
NEW TELEGRAPH
http://newtelegraphonline.com/drug-trafficking-is-like-terrorism-arms-smuggling/
These were the words of the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Ahmadu Giade as he cajoled members of the international and local communities, not to relent in the joint war against drug trafficking. To strengthen the fight against narcotic drugs, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are also working with the Nigerian government to improve regional and international cooperation.
Investigations revealed that Nigerian criminal groups are heavily involved in drug trafficking, especially shipment of heroin from Asian countries to Europe and America and cocaine from South America to Europe and South Africa. The large numbers of ethnic Nigerians in Indian, Pakistan and Thailand give their gangs ready access to around 90% of the world’s heroin.
“In the United States, Nigerian drug traffickers are important distributors of heroin, from importing it into the country to distribution level and selling it to lower-level street gangs,” Wikipedia findings revealed, adding that: “These criminal groups are also known to launder drug money through domestic football clubs in the Nigerian Premier League and are rumored to make additional money through match fixing activity within football matches.” The EU Ambassador, Michel Arrion and country representative of UNODC, Ms. Mariam Sissoko, who were recently at the NDLEA Headquarters in Lagos State, avowed their unwavering support in the ongoing battle against drug traffickers across the globe.
Arrion stressed the need to curtail the activities of drug syndicates through collaboration, adding that EU was providing funds for Project NGAV 16 – Response To Drugs and Related Organised Crime. Arrion said: “At inter-continental level,the European Union finances a number of projects as part of the Cocaine Route Programme. The Cocaine Route programme, with a budget of over 30 million Euros, covers 36 countries of which half are in Africa, essentially West-Africa, five in the Caribbean countries and the remaining in Latin and Central America.”
Sissoko said: “We’re working with the NDLEA to assist the Agency progress towards an intelligence-led organisation, equipped to deal with the challenges of the ever changing drug industry. We commend the chairman and senior management of the NDLEA for decisively embarking on the change management process that is required to strengthen the intelligence-based response of NDLEA to drug matters.”
Giade noted: “This project demonstrates EU’s willingness to assist countries in the implementation of international drug conventions. It will also provide appropriate framework for regional drug control programmes. The challenges posed by illicit drug cultivation, trafficking and abuse are enormous. We, therefore, believe that through shared responsibility, greater progress will be made in addressing the illicit drug phenomenon.”
Giade enumerated some benefits of the EU project to Nigeria and West Africa. He said that the project will enhance technical and operational capacity in frontline agencies leading to targeted interventions on drugs and organized related crimes in Nigeria. It will also help to manage drug abuse counseling, drug treatment and rehabilitation through the creation of a reliable network of quality drug treatment service providers.
During the interactive session, it was gathered that the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2015- 2019, a policy document for drug control was almost finalised. The master plan contains new ideas and new control approaches which will be implemented in the next four years. The EU procured 100 desktop computers for the smooth takeoff of a Data Exchange Centre. This will help to establish an evidence-based approach in addressing the challenges of illicit drugs in the country.
Sissoko said that the project was first and mainly a joint undertaking between the government of Nigeria and the European Union which had agreed on the key objectives of the project and have also decided to designate UNODC as implementing agency. She further stressed that, “response to drugs and related organized crime in Nigeria aims at supporting Nigeria’s effort in addressing drug production, trafficking, and use.
“The project design places equal emphasis on drug demand reduction and drug law enforcement, and is informed by international and best practices and a human rights approach.” Sissoko also stated that the project has among its key beneficiaries, not only NDLEA, but also NAFDAC, the police and customs.
Buttressing her speech, Arrion said that reliable data about drugs trafficking and drug abuse in Nigeria was required, stating that under the project, two full-scale national surveys on cannabis production and drug use in Nigeria were currently being conducted by UNODC in close cooperation with NDLEA, with all necessary means, including Satellite images being used to measure the scale of cannabis cultivation to questionnaires related to drugs.
He urged people to work towards the same objectives, whether they are working in the bush, city, streets or in offices. Arrion said that the reason Nigeria was offered the support, was because they wanted people on the ground to make use of the latest technologies available. He added, “It’s for this reason that the European Union is supporting the equipment capacity of NDLEA.”
He further said that the project will provide the relevant equipment to people on the ground such as drug test kits and laboratory chemicals for drug identification and laboratory analysis, and also that handing over 115 computers to the NDLEA, was to increase the capacity of drug law enforcement and related organised crime, to prevent or interdict drug trafficking and related crime.He stated that drug traffickers deserved no mercy, that they are to be arrested and sentenced.
According to Arrion who said that the project will go on for about 50months, they were ready to perform a full scale survey of cannabis, and also to give new strength to Nigerians. Arrion said the EU was funding a large-scale project, adding, “This project is supporting Nigeria’s efforts to fight illicit drug production, trafficking and use and to curb related organised crime, including counterfeit narcotics and psychotropic substance.”
Arrion said that response to drugs and related organized crime in Nigeria, with a total budget of 36million Euros financed by the European union has 3 main objectives; to support policy formulation and increase drug legislation and coordination of the sector, to improve law enforcement capacity in drug control and tracking organised drug related crime, and to enhance drug prevention, treatment and care services adapted to Nigerians conditions.
“The problem of drug trafficking and abuse knows no national bodies. We’re partners because we’re all convinced that drug trafficking is one of the major threats to human security, affecting the social, economic, political and cultural development of our societies,” said Arrion.
NEW TELEGRAPH
http://newtelegraphonline.com/drug-trafficking-is-like-terrorism-arms-smuggling/
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