The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has said that the recent attack on its image by Senator Oyelola Ashiru (Kwara South) was borne out of vendetta rather than on any altruistic motive or national interest.

The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, said this on Monday in Abuja while addressing newsmen to respond to what he called disparaging statement by the lawmaker.

Marwa said that Senator Ashiru described the NDLEA as ”corrupt and compromised” during plenary last Tuesday.

Represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, Marwa said that the agency was compelled to call newsmen due to the unfortunate development.

He said that the agency was duty-bound to respond to the unprovoked attack against it by the lawmaker during his contribution to the debate on a new bill for an Act to establish the “National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation.”

He explained that the agency waited for a week hoping the lawmaker would clarify his position on such a weighty allegation against it.

“But failing to do that, the agency is left with no option than to come out and set the record straight for the benefit of other distinguished members of the senate, our local and international partners as well as the general public,” he said

According to him, there is no doubt that setting up another agency is within the power of the senate and if we are invited to contribute to the debate, we will be willing to offer our opinion.

“Though we cannot fault the powers of the senate on that, yet for a member of the upper chamber to have made such an unfounded and unwarranted categorical statement against the agency led us to look inward.

“This, however, made us to see what could have been responsible for such a carpeting general statement.

“What we found was shocking, and we concluded that his statement came from a place of vendetta and certainly not out of public interest or any altruistic motive.”

The NDLEA chairman said that in spite of the impression the lawmaker was trying to create about its image, the NDLEA had continued to receive accolades from local and international bodies.

This, he said was for its successes in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

”Incidentally, the next day after the senator made the statement, NDLEA in Lagos commissioned a new Marine Command Headquarters building donated by the Government of the UK.

“A similar facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport was donated last year by the same British government.

“We have had other facilities donated by United States INL and executed by UNODC in the past 12 months. We have been receiving various supports from the governments of France, Germany and the US, among others.

“Suffice it to say that in the past three years, NDLEA has emerged as a regional leader among national drug law enforcement agencies.

“So, come to think about it, an agency so badmouthed by a lawmaker couldn’t have been attracting such international goodwill and commendation for being the most corrupt government agency in Nigeria.

”Against the background of our encounter with people linked to him, we want to believe that his invectives against NDLEA were borne out of vendetta and not any opinion made in the public interest,” he maintained.

Marwa said that the agency had been professional in its activities and interactions with citizens while carrying out arrests daily.

He said that the agency had made more than 52,000 arrests and got more than 9,000 convictions, in the past three years including three life sentences this year.

“And, as part of our mandate, we have engaged in over 7,000 awareness and sensitisation activities in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities.

“There have been treatment and rehabilitation of more than 33,000 drug users including the last two persons arrested in the senator’s house.

“The personal house of the senator in GRA Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, had been raided in recent past, where drugs and illicit substances were recovered while two of his aides: Ibrahim Mohammed and Muhammed Yahaya, were arrested. Based on credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed that the senators house was being used as a drug joint for drug dealers and users, the house was raided by our operatives at 1:30pm on February 4, 2024 during which the two aides were arrested, while a third suspect escaped arrest.

“In another encounter with the senator, the Agency also received intelligence that some of his boys popularly known as Omo Senator operating from his home town, Offa, were equally dealing in illicit drugs. A raid was subsequently carried out on their joint in Offa where one of them, Oluwatosin Odepidan, was arrested and illicit drugs such as methamphetamine and cannabis recovered from him on June 11, 2023.

“The bid to get the Agency drop the case against Odepidan including a visit to the Kwara State Command headquarters of the Agency in Ilorin by the Personal Assistant to the senator, one Omoluabi, was rebuffed as Odepidan was promptly charged to court and prosecuted. Though the culprit jumped court bail in 2023, he was rearrested in 2024 after the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. He was eventually convicted and sentenced in June 2024.

”Outside this country, NDLEA has become a reference for drug law enforcement.

“Therefore, the statement made by the senator in the country’s hallowed chamber in the course of a legislative debate, and made to justify the creation of another agency is motivated by malice.

“It is a gross misrepresentation of fact; and it is defamatory to the image of NDLEA. We believe the well-meaning public; our stakeholders and our partners can see through such calculated mendacity, “he added.

The NDLEA boss pledged that the agency would remain undeterred by the attack but would be relentless in ongoing effort to dismantle all illicit drug networks across the country.

According to him, if Sen. Ashiru has a personal grudge against NDLEA, it shouldn’t be cloaked as a matter of public concern.

“His statement of October 15, uttered in the hallowed chamber of the Nigerian senate, is a gross abuse of his position as a legislator of the Federal Republic.

“And we dare say that such will not deter us from our ongoing effort to dismantle all illicit drug networks.

”NDLEA since January 2021 has been on a journey of reforms, and so far, we are glad with the progress we are making.

”We are grateful to the federal and state governments for the support we have been enjoying,” he said.