THE Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said on Thursday that drug barons were behind the lingering insecurity in the country.

He said they were providing funding for insurgent groups such as Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers with which they procure arms and ammunition to undertake their criminal activities.

Lawan disclosed this when the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), visited him on Thursday.

Lawan said such drug barons, who engage in trafficking heroin, cannabis and cocaine have made Nigeria a major transit route for plying the illicit trade.

He said this was responsible for the rise in criminality in the country.

Lawan said, “Let me say that Nigeria as a country is in one way or the other a transit route for drugs. Drug peddlers pass their drugs through Nigeria – cannabis, heroin and possibly even cocaine.

“We believe that this has to stop because the proceeds of such activities fund terrorism; they fund banditry. You wonder how the bandits have RPGs and these massive arms that they have. Definitely, these are some acquisition provided by some barons, not the bandits themselves.

“So, we need to ensure that this transit role that Nigeria plays is addressed properly. And here we have to approach this through multi-sectoral efforts – the Customs, Immigration Service, our security agencies, and in fact, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and our seaports.

“Of course, this is not going to be easy, but we have to be steadfast and we should do whatever is possible; we have to make you better.”

Speaking on the drug addiction rate in Nigeria, Lawan underscored the need for multi-dimensional efforts across the various agencies of governments.

The Senate President also advocated the inclusion of Drug Education in the curricular for schools and institutions of learning in Nigeria.

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Poor staff morale affecting drug war – Marwa

Earlier, Marwa told his hosts that the war against drug abuse in the country was presently at its lowest ebb due to very poor staff morale.

He said drug use and abuse must be checked in order to solve the challenge of insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in the country.

Marwa said, “Nigeria is in a state of siege today. Yes, we are having the insurgency, banditry and kidnapping, but when you go to some areas and speak of this menace, it may not be of great concern. But when you enter the realm of drug abuse, every part of Nigeria is affected.

“When I took over about six or seven weeks back, I found the agency in comatose. I would not like to go into too much detail…and this is an agency that we need to demonstrate readiness but unfortunately, the state of readiness is very weak.

“The morale above all is the weakest that I have ever met in any paramilitary institution. Almost every staff is owed either his duty allowance or his allowance for prosecution, for movement to and from court, or for transfer and travelling.

“There is over N4bn owed just for the staff, so the morale is so low. There is stagnation – the promotions and postings is one aspect. When the NDLEA officials are given pittance, there is the temptation to compromise with the people they are supposed to go after, that is why we always request for sufficiency.”