Eight NDLEA officers get special promotion for gallantry

The eight officers undertook a daring operation leading to the arrest of drug traffickers whose canoes and boats were moving illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria through the Lagos waterways.

A statement from the agency, signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, quoted Marwa as saying that every time the agency records a breakthrough, it tells the world a story about the new NDLEA and how hardworking its officers are.

The chairman said such breakthroughs “reinforce 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.”

Justifying the essence of the special promotion and commendation, Marwa said, “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 in keeping with our culture of rewarding hard work, results, and sacrifice.”

He said 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.

“Under this scheme, we have instituted the bi-annual Command Awards and Commendation, as well as special promotions for deserving officers, among other measures,” he said.

Giving background to what led to the recognition, he explained that on the 23rd of August 2024, the NDLEA Special Marine Squad received actionable intelligence at 3 am, immediately swung into action, and intercepted a boat along Alfa Beach in Lekki, Lagos. Another boat was equally sighted, and despite the challenges, the officers went ahead to recover the exhibits.

“They were able to seize 60 bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 2,400 kgs. They successfully arrested a suspect, Hambo Tete, 30, who is Ghanaian, and impounded the exhibit boat powered by three outboard engines. The action of these officers in the night was significant for two reasons,” he added.