NDLEA boss promotes eight officers for heroic drug bust on Lagos waterways
NDLEA boss promotes eight officers for heroic drug bust on Lagos waterways
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa, has promoted eight NDLEA officers of the Marine Command over their brave and trained conduct during a recent operation that led to the arrest of drug traffickers and interdict canoes and boats moving illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria through the Lagos waterways.
This was disclosed in a statement Dailyeconomy obtained from the NDLEA website and signed by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Thursday.
The promoted officers according to the statement are, Dick Aaron Dick, Alabi Mayowa, Gabriel Ubokikwan, Aso Daniel John, Abdul Emmanuel Sule, Ngabolo Victor Sonpano, Jonah Emmanuel Sule and Membe Timipa Gabriel.
Marwa according to Babafemi handed the promoted officers commendation letters at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday at the decoration ceremony.
Marwa, while speaking at the ceremony said, “Every time we have a breakthrough, it tells the world a story about the new NDLEA we are working hard to build. It also reinforces our conviction as an organisation that we are on the right track. So, an occasion such as this is a source of pride for me.”
While justifying the essence of the special promotion and commendation, the NDLEA boss noted, “In this case, we have officers who exhibited bravery and an unwavering sense of duty in the face of adversity on the waterways to thwart an attempt by a criminal gang to smuggle 60 jumbo bags of illicit drugs from a neighbouring country. Despite obvious attempts to thwart our interdiction bid, our officers were resilient and prevailed over the situation. It is in recognition of their gallantry that they are given special promotion and we are holding this ceremony to decorate them. This is keeping with our culture of rewarding hard work, results and sacrifice.”
He stated further that the reward scheme is also part of the sweeping reforms he instituted in the past three years to motivate officers to raise their performance levels.
Addressing the promoted officers and their colleagues across all commands and formations, Marwa charged them with the need to maintain the momentum of the trajectory and also protect the integrity of the agency, urging that NDLEA officers should be mindful of their actions and activities in the line of duty or off duty.
“I expect them and every officer not to rest on their oars. There is so much work to do out there, and there are dangers involved. As long as we conduct our operations in line with established SOPs, as these officers did, and as long as we don’t compromise our mandate, we shall always prevail, without casualty and without erring in our action”, Marwa added.
