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.
