NDLEA threatens to deal with saboteurs over port operations
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has threatened to take legal action against any act of misinformation calculated to obstruct the activities of the agency at the seaports.
The Agency also promised to remain vigilant in preventing the use of the seaports in drug trafficking.
In a statement, Mitchell Ofoyeju spokesman of NDLEA said, the operations of the NDLEA at the seaports was statutory and it remained pertinent to set the records straight.
“This clarification is imperative in the light of conflicting reports intended to mislead members of the public on the official position.
Serious government business as the number of agencies approved to operate at the seaports must not be treated with frivolity. There are official documents to this effect and members of the public are advised to discountenance such statement that lacks credence.”
He said NDLEA has the mandate of the Federal Government to carry out full counter-narcotic activities at the seaports adding that as a responsible Agency of government, it considered the misrepresentation of facts as a slight on the Presidential Executive Orders on the ease of doing business.
Ofoyeju said in a letter written and signed by the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman dated 2 June 2017 inviting the Agency to a stakeholder meeting, clearly stated that NDLEA was among the Agencies cleared to operate at the seaports.
“Besides, NDLEA is among the seven Agencies with Presidential mandate to operate at the seaport following the decision to reduce the number of government organisations at the ports in 2012.
Section 8 (1b) of the NDLEA Act states that the Agency shall work in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Services in monitoring the movement of goods and persons in any customs area, customs stations, customs ports or customs airports and searching cargoes and incoming and outgoing vessels, including pleasure craft and fishing vessels as well as aircraft and vehicles and, when appropriate, searching crew members, passengers and their baggage.”
