RED ALERT: NLC Cautions NDLEA Over Influx Of Cocaine Shipments Through Seaports

By Roland Ekama 

 

The Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, has called on the General Buba Marwa (rtd)-led Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to beam its searchlight on the types of cargo shipments to the nation’s seaports, following the increasing importation of illicit drugs.

 

Adeyanju, who spoke on Sunday with selected journalists in Lagos, maintained that with the heightened insecurity in Nigeria, there are indications that more ships will clandestinely import illicit substances into the country through the seaports.

 

The immediate past President General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Adeyanju stressed the need for the drug law enforcement agency to deploy more sniffer dogs to detect illicit drugs, mostly in containerized cargoes.

 

The unionist further tasked the agency to beam its searchlights on all types of cargoes, noting that illicit drug importation to Nigeria is not limited to bulk cargo ships alone.

 

The NLC top boss reiterated that innocent Nigerian workers, mostly dockworkers, should not be used as guinea pigs for crimes committed by foreigners and their syndicates in the country, noting that the cartels should be tracked down through intelligence sharing noting that some of the workers suffer from what they know nothing about.

 

He lamented that the heightened Importation of cocaine signals a very wrong message to the international community but expressed optimism that the Marwa team has what it takes to curb the dangerous drug influx into the country through the seaports.

 

He said “I commend the Chairman of the NDLEA specifically on how he handled it. If not taken seriously, it would be bad for maritime safety, and it’s very difficult to manage if not handled properly.

 

“Cocaine is a hard drug. I want the chairman to put more searchlights in the industry. It is not the fault of the dockworkers but at the point of loading. If there are no agents in Nigeria, there will be no importation of the drugs.”

 

“Dockworkers must not be used as scapegoats because of drug importation. Don’t be surprised if this illicit importation is transferred to the jetties. Private jetties are not properly manned by security operatives.

 

“NDLEA should not run away from their responsibilities in this fight against cocaine importation because at this point, more sniffer dogs should be deployed for that operation—just like what is happening at the airports.”

 

 

According to him, the agency should ensure it buys more sniffer dogs that would be able to sniff out any suspicious containers laden with drugs like cocaine and other illicit items.

 

“More sniffers should be brought into port operations; this will make their work easier. The NDLEA should not limit their searchlights to sugar- or wheat-laden containers; rather, they should look inward and take the search for illicit drugs to container-laden vessels,” Adeyanju reiterated.

 

The labour leader further predicted that more ships laden with such items are calling at the Lagos and eastern ports, but maintained that the NDLEA has a big role to play in curbing the anomalies, pointing out that insecurity is fuelled by substances taken by criminal gangs in Nigerian society.

 

While alleging that the importation of illicit drugs is not limited to seaports alone, Adeyanju urged the NDLEA to take the campaign to bonded terminals and private jetties, which are unmanned by security agencies.

 

He also warned dockworkers to dissociate themselves from any form of conspiracy linking drug trafficking to port operations, adding that plans are afoot to engage the current leadership of the MWUN on the best way to enlighten workers and manage the influx of cocaine importation into the country through the seaports.

 

The union leader called on the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to support NDLEA fight against cocaine Importation through provision of the needed technology and manpower towards ensuring that the jetties and the ports are properly manned against the background of drug shipments into the nation.