Drug war! NDLEA mourns its slain operatives

By Albert Akpor

THE  mood was palpably solemn, if not sorrowful, that day at No 4,  Shaw Road Ikoyi,  Lagos  head office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Indeed ,  almost all the operatives wore long faces  as they went about their duties. Even the visitors that thronged the place on this day also found themselves  speaking in low tones as they exchanged pleasantries.

Date was October 30, 2009.  It was a day the agency held a memorial parade in honour of two of its staff, Messrs Loveday Tarikoro Kenneth and Abbati Shamsudeen Barmo who were ambushed and killed by a suspected  syndicate of drug barons somewhere in Delta State last May.

Representatives of sister security agencies, top government functionaries,  friends and relations of the slain narcotic officers and of course, sympathisers who graced the occasion could not contain their emotions when eight officers bearing mock caskets of the deceased persons appeared in a two-row funeral  parade. And in a gesture that underlined the solemnity of the occasion, they  lowered and carefully placed the caskets on platforms adorned with funeral wreaths, took some measured steps backwards and gave the traditional salute.

*NDLEA officials observing a solemn moment for slain colleagues.

The atmosphere of grief soon became charged with anger  when the  Chairman/Chief  Executive Officer of the anti-drug agency,  Ahmadu Giade was handed a micro-phone. He stood up, gazed directly at the caskets, tucked his hands into the pocket of his white agbada,  brought out a white handkerchief, wiped his eyes repeatedly  and cleared his throat before giving his tribute in an emotion-laden voice.

He said: “My task here this morning is like that of a father called to speak at the funeral of two of his sons.  I must confess to you that this is not an easy task.  But I draw from the courage and heroism of Loveday Tarikor Kenneth and Abbati Shamsudeen Barmo, the two officers we are here to celebrate  today.  I will do what I have to do, the way they did what they had to do by placing themselves in harm’s way and ultimately sacrificing their lives for Nigeria.

The agency deemed it most expedient to have this memorial parade to honour the two officers whose lives were brutally cut short in May 2009 by the bullets of drug criminals in Abi community in Delta State.  The team of operatives was ambushed and attacked after  seizing large quantities of cannabis sativa otherwise known as Indian hemp.

These two officers died from the attack while several others sustained serious injuries.  Today, we grieve like members of their families.  The heroic fall of these officers attests to the dangers associated with law enforcement.  We  remain undaunted to continue to protect this country against illegal drugs and we challenge all well-meaning Nigerians not to sit on the fence, because the looming drug threat is real”.

If Ahmadu Giade was emotional in his tribute,   one of the distinguished guests, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) was particularly fiery in his speech as he warned drug barons in communities across the country that the Federal Government would no longer treat with kids gloves,  attacks on officials of the NDLEA.

The number one law officer in the country was represented by an Assistant Director in the Justice Ministry, Mr. Charles Ebuteh.  According to him: “Today’s event is a call to action because this is one killing too many in one particular part of the country, which is the Ukwani community in Delta State.  This cycle of carnage must stop.  Let us assure the perpetrators of this horrendous killing that the government will not relent in its efforts to fish out the perpetrators and they will surely be brought to book no matter how long.

Government has since commissioned an enquiry…with the aim of identifying those behind the killing and I can assure you that no stone will be left unturned in this direction.  The illegal cultivation of cannabis must stop because of the devastating consequences on the society, especially our youths.  The Federal Government will deploy all the necessary resources to achieve this goal and we must win this war and win it collectively.

This memorial parade is a sad reminder of the viciousness and mindlessness of the perpetrators of  heinous drug crimes that give Nigeria a bad image internationally and which seek to bring us all to our knees.  They are directly telling us that they are not about to give up their illicit trade.

If anything, they are becoming more complex in their total disregard for the laws of the land and for human lives.  Let us use this occasion to tell them that Nigeria is not a lawless country and the government is prepared to do everything to defend its integrity”.