Synchronising force with soft intelligence to generate resistance network of hard drugs

The menace of hard drugs in Nigeria has most recently begun to assume adisturbing turn with red flags, as a result of increased transactions within the network of the sharp practice. Although not a new phenomenon, the expanding tentacles of the ill has borne several linkable strings which have been noted to constitute grounds of social decadence and delinquencies. In fact, recent escalation of  security threats  has been linked to the influence  of abuse of hard drugs across Nigeria. Since the trade of substances is categorised a criminal offence in the Country, one would necessarily have to give perceptional thoughts to the subterranean factors that make the trade and trafficking of hard substances a crime.

Studies have established the nexus between the proliferation of hard drugs and the broadening of criminal tendencies. Hence, the breeding and escalation of several variants of ills in the society can be linked observably with the preponderance of trade and consumption of hard drugs in the Country. In this purview, it is arguable that as the network of hard drugs and its associated misdemeanor expand, the roots of ills continue to wax deeper in the Country. This largely speaks to the fact that perpetrators of heinous crimes such as robbery, kidnapping, banditry, cultism, rape, among other social ills and criminal escapades, are known to be custodians of hard drugs who often perpetrate these mischiefs under heavy influence of drugs.

While the nexus of hard drug consumption and the preponderance of criminal tendencies have been established, it is however, lamentable  that the offshooting tentacles of the value chain of drugs in the Country continue to expand. This would observably be linked to years of handling the menace with levity without strategic measures. Recent operations of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have come to establish the depth of transactions exchanging hands within the value chain of the sharp practice. It was on Monday disclosed by the Agency that it has intercepted assorted drugs worth over N90 billion and arrested 2,175 drug traffickers in four months. The Chairman of the Agency, retired Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa, during a ceremony to present the best performing commands for March and April and presentation of commendation letters to outstanding officers, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, had mentioned that the agency had spent the past four months implementing various measures aimed at repositioning it, with emphasis on strengthening the capacity of its officers.

The NDLEA chairman who tried justifying the agency’s efforts saying that the evidence was clear for everyone to see, was quoted: “And neither would the seizure of 2,050,766.33 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs have been possible if you had chosen to do just the minimal work across your various commands. Business, as usual, we would not have been able to seize drug and cash valued at over N90 billion in just four months. Think of what a fraction of that could have done to the various criminalities in Nigeria. The filing of about 2,100 drug cases in court with over 500 convictions was made possible by the collective efforts of our officers and men who decided to go the extra mile. Today, it is part of our records and collective credits that we are not only breaking down the high walls shielding drug cartels but also reining in drug barons. That is why we have strengthened our Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigations to go after all assets or funds linked to drug trafficking which had led to interim and final forfeiture orders on assets and funds worth billions of naira linked to drug traffickers and barons. Of significant interest is our current investigation of N30 billion slush fund believed to be proceeds of drugs.”

The need to strengthen attention on intelligent approach to addressing the menace is one prudent measure the Government should employ to embellish the operations to clampdown on the network of the sharp practice. The significance of soft instruments in grounding the tentacles of the deep rooted menace cannot be downplayed. The reason for this can be perceived from the impacts that the perceptional constructs of the people of a society plays in their conduct and dispositions to social matters.  Hence, the importance of ideological constructs in the culture of a people remain sacrosanct to the character of their dispositions and behaviour towards issues.

In this light, it is pertinent for the Government to work out patterns of crafting and developing perceptions to govern thoughts among the populace against the menace of hard drugs and all associated delinquencies entangling with the same to inform networks of illicit chains, brewing disturbances in the entire society. It is therefore, essential for the Government to lead a chain of campaigns to spur positive values among Nigerians which would develop dispositions of resistance and hostility against the production, trafficking, exchange, and abuse of hard drugs, among other entangling collusions in the illicit value chain. It is hence, paramount for such campaign to be synchronised with the architecture of operations to cut off the connecting sharp practices of the illicit networking value chain. Hence, as hard instruments of force are being deployed to clamp down on the perpetrators, the strategic use of soft parameters of intelligence has crucial role to play in developing popular resistance against the menace among the populace.