MUSLIM RIGHTS
CONCERN (MURIC)
هيئة حقوق المسلمين
Motto: Dialogue,
Not Violence
30th July, 2026
PRESS RELEASE:
MARWA'S
NDLEA PROVING ITS METTLE IN NIGERIA'S INSECURITY SAGA - MURIC
A Muslim rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC), has beamed it's searchlight on the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement
Agency (NDLEA).
In a special focus on the agency, MURIC's boss, Professor Ishaq
Akintola, on Thursday 30th July, 2026, described the NDLEA as indispensable in
Nigeria's fight against insecurity. He therefore appealed to the Federal
Government to ensure that NDLEA has free access to cutting-edge technology
and full support of both state and non-state actors.
The statement reads:
"We of
the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), concerned about the prolonged insecurity in
the land, bewildered by the severity of the barbaric behaviour of terrorists,
bandits and kidnappers, hereby resolved to take a closer look at the
relationship between violent crimes and drug addiction in relation to the
raging cycle of insecurity in Nigeria.
"According to latest statistics, insecurity has claimed more
than 628,000 lives while over 2.2 million have been abducted since 2023 alone.
We can only imagine the figures from around 2012 when Boko Haram began its
operations (https://businessday-ng.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/businessday.ng/life/article/the-killing-fields-inside-nigerias-staggering-human-cost-of-insecurity/).
"Apart
from the colossal loss of human lives and properties, insecurity has so far
constituted the Strait of Hormuz for the economic and educational development
in Nigeria as both local and foreign investors have kept a safe distance from
embattled zones.
"At the same time, sporadic attacks on schools have increased
thereby swelling the number of out of school children which, according to
UNICEF, presently stands at 18.3 million (https://punchng-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/punchng.com/ending-nigerias-18-3-million-out-of-school-children-crisis/).
"Yet at the bottom of Nigeria's security crisis lies the
phenomenon of drug addiction so much so that many believe that if Nigeria wins
the drug war, insecurity will drastically reduce by more than 60%.
"There is ample empirical proof that bandits and terrorists
abuse drugs. That is why they behave like animals. Those dangerous substances
have been found in their camps. The camps of Boko Haram cleared by troops are
often littered with psychotropic drugs. It is also on record that ten suppliers
of hard drugs were intercepted by NDLEA in December 2021 (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/12/jihad-drug-10-suppliers-of-narcotics-to-bandits-terrorists-intercepted/amp/).
"Therefore
Nigeria's insecurity, to a large extent, is drug induced. Besides, arrested
insurgents and bandits often show withdrawal symptoms after days in custody of
security agents. They are also known to have confessed during interrogation to
regular use of drugs. Some terrorists and bandits have also been captured with
drugs, including pharmaceutical opioids. These discoveries underscore the role
being played by drug use by terrorists and bandits.
"Meanwhile this close nexus between drugs and crimes makes
it imperative to relate it to the brilliant performance of the NDLEA under its
present leadership and the urgent need for FG to give unconditional support to
the drug law enforcement agency.
"FG must pay more attention to Nigeria's drug war with
particular reference to its brilliant trajectory in the past six years under
General Buba Marwa (rtd). NDLEA has become an inseparable partner in the war
against tertorists, bandits and kidnappers.
"In
addition, we call FG's attention to the devastation global drug cartels have
brought to countries like Mexico where 400,000 had died by 2021 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_drug_war),
Colombia where the death toll had reached 9,263,826 by 2022 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian_conflict)
and Ecuador wwhere at least one person is murdered per hour (https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260708-ecuador-s-death-canal-watery-grave-for-victims-of-gang-violence)
particularly with their extreme violence and state destabilization. This proves
that the drug saga has direct impact on governance.
"Fortunately the new sheriff in town has proved beyond any
scintilla of doubt that he is up to the task. Under Marwa, the rate at which
drug barons are apprehended while huge quantities of narcotics are seized is
unprecedented. What is even more interesting in the successes recorded by NDLEA
is the federal character assumed by the seizures and arrests as they occur in
all geopolitical zones.
"Exampli gratia, in June this year (2026), NDLEA
bursted a Mexican drug cartel and arrested some Mexicans and their Nigerian
collaborators at their drug factory ( https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/metro/mexican-four-others-arrested-as-ndlea-uncovers-meth-lab-in-oyo-forest/).
This has been the pattern in the past four years under Marwa as no week passed
without NDLEA registering a significant breakthrough.
"We affirm that illicit drug is the mother of crimes in
general and the earlier we stamp it out of our society the easier for victory
in the war against violent groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP and ISIS.
"At the
rate it is going, what NDLEA needs is cutting-edge technology so as to
out-smart drug barons, illicit drug peddlers and their agents in every area of
the game.
"MURIC
charges state governments to key into NDLEA's vision in the struggle to free
Nigerian youths from drug addiction thereby ridding the society of crime. It is
penny wise pound foolish to leave the fire while going after the smoke. The
cassu belli of Nigeria's insecurity lies in hard drugs and NDLEA is sine qua
non in the war against insecurity. State governments should therefore stop
treating drug issues with kid gloves.
"We call on citizens to assist NDLEA with timely and
actionable information. Citizens at the grassroots must take charge at this
moment because it is our war. Our children, our wives, our husbands and our
relations are involved. We must stop the fire on the roof from spreading.
"We appeal to all security agencies to up their
collaboration with the NDLEA. Inter-agency cooperation is key to getting good
results in this drug war. There can be no enduring success in the drug war
without intelligence sharing.
"The drug brouhaha cuts across people of all faiths, all
ethnicities. The duty of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) as an advocacy group
for Allah-given fundamental human rights, good governance, anti-corruption,
societal welfare and moral awakening, is to jog the conscience of society and
its leadership.
"It is heartwarming that this is not the first time we will
speak up on the issue of drugs. We did in October 2021 by calling on Nigerians
to support NDLEA's fight against illicit drug (https://dailypost.ng/2021/10/09/muric-urges-nigerians-to-support-ndlea-fight-illicit-drug/)
and in November 2025 when we commended General Marwa's sterling performance at
the NDLEA (https://leadership.ng/marwas-reappointment-motivated-by-sterling-performance-muric/).
"As we draw the curtains, we recall our position that
Nigeria's insecurity, to a large extent, is drug induced. We therefore appeal
to the Federal Government to ensure that NDLEA has free access to
cutting-edge technology and full support of both state and non-state actors in
its war against drug cartels. Victory over insurgents and terrorists may not be
guaranteed until the drug threat is drastically reduced. We must not wait until
Nigeria descends into another Mexico, Colombia or Ecuador."
#NDLEA
#FG
#Insecurity
#Drug
Professor Ishaq
Akintola,
Founder/Executive
Director,
Muslim Rights
Concern (MURIC).
