German Government lauds NDLEA for operational efficiency
The German Government has applauded National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for its “professionalism and operational excellence” in preventing and countering drug trafficking.
The commendation was handed down by the Vice President of the German Federal Criminal Investigation Office, Michael Kretschmer during a visit to the national headquarters of the Agency.
According to Kreschmer, “We are here to acknowledge your consistent excellent performance over the years. Your indices are professional and reliable. I am here to appreciate your professional work and to ascertain whether our intervention meets your needs and to also find out your general impression of our collaborative efforts”.
The German Police Chief noted that through the NDLEA/German Government Canine Project, the Agency has been able to seize huge quantities of drugs. “But the truth is, it is your work and diligence that have about these operational accomplishments. You have extremely committed canine officers. We have met the dogs donated to you by the German Government in very good shape”, Kreschmer noted.
Chairman/Chief Executive, NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd.) noted that the story of NDLEA could not be written without the interventions of the German Government.
Abdallah said: “The Agency is the leading capability in the use of canine for its operations. The German Government is singularly instrumental to this capability through its generous donations of dogs, vehicles and continuous training of our staff”.
According to the NDLEA Chairman, the NDLEA/German Government Canine Project which started in 2010 has yielded 26 major arrests, leading to the seizure of 17, 932 metric tons of sundry drugs within the country.
A total of nine (9) officers have so far been trained on various levels of narcotics detection dog handling proficiency and total of 14 Narcotic detection dogs have so far been donated to the Agency by the German government. This is in addition to the donation of two new Toyota Haice buses and a Mercedes Vito van. “These numerous donations have made such a tremendous impact on the operations of the Agency at the international airports, sea ports and land borders”, the Chairman remarked.
The collaboration between the Agency and the German BKA is to culminate in the establishment of an academy in Nigeria dedicated for the breeding of canine and the building of capacity of canine officers. The Academy is to meet the canine needs of other crime combating agencies in Nigeria.
Jonah Achema, ACN
Principal Staff Officer,
Public Affairs
