Nigerian Anti-Drug Agency Rewards Brave Officers with Promotions
In a move aimed at boosting morale and acknowledging exceptional performance, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), has granted special promotions to eight officers of the Marine Command for their bravery and professional conduct during a recent operation.
The operation, which took place on August 23, 2024, at 3 am, saw the officers arrest a drug trafficker and intercept boats moving illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria through the Lagos waterways. The promoted officers are Dick Aaron Dick, Alabi Mayowa, Gabriel Ubokikwan, Aso John, Abdul Sule, Ngabolo Victor Sonpano, Jonah Sule, and Membe Gabriel.
During the ceremony to decorate the officers with their new ranks and award them commendation letters in Abuja on Thursday, Marwa praised the officers for their bravery and dedication to duty. "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," Marwa said.
The officers, Marwa explained, exhibited bravery and 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 facing unfavourable encounters, the officers remained focused and recovered the exhibits, seizing 60 bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 2,400 kgs, and arresting a suspect, Hambo Tete, 30, a Ghanaian national.
Marwa highlighted the significance of the operation, stating that it affirms the Agency’s success in making normal trafficking routes through the airport and land borders impenetrable, prompting traffickers to seek alternative routes, including the waterways. He emphasized that the presence of the NDLEA’s Marine Command will ensure that such traffickers meet their Waterloo even on the waterways.
The team leader, Aaron Dick, spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressing gratitude to Marwa for transforming the Agency into an efficient and result-oriented organisation through purposeful and exemplary leadership. He said the special promotion and commendation will not only motivate him and his colleagues to do more but will also inspire other personnel of the Agency to be exceptional in the discharge of their duties.
The promotion is part of the sweeping reforms Marwa instituted in the past three years to motivate officers to raise their performance level, including the bi-annual Command Awards and Commendation, as well as special promotions for deserving officers.
