Islamic group backs NDLEA’s anti-drugs war, seeks collaboration

Prominent Islamic Group, Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’a Wa’Iqammatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), Nigeria, has expressed its full support for the renewed fight against drug abuse and trafficking by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA).

The body stated this, on Tuesday, in Abuja, when its leadership paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman, NDLEA, Brig. Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd) at the Agency’s national headquarters.

In a statement by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the JIBWIS chairman, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala, commended Marwa and his team for the great impact they had made within the short time he took over the leadership of the agency.

Bala said that the Islamic group was seeking collaboration with NDLEA so as to take the message against drug abuse to millions of its members and followers.

He said that there was need to bring to the table the large capacity of JIBWIS to collaborate with NDLEA in this onerous assignment, saying that he understood the crisis bedeviling the country had its roots in drug abuse.

With over 15,000 Jumu’at mosques, 10,000 primary and secondary schools all over the country, and Manara Satellite TV, coupled with being an advocacy and enlightenment organisation, JIBWIS was well placed to be of tremendous assistance to the NDLEA in its fight against drug abuse in the country, he said.

Bala further said the group believed that there could neither be peace nor development in a country with the unacceptable level of drug abuse as in Nigeria today.

Responding, the Chairman, NDLEA, Brig  Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) expressed his appreciation for the visit, adding that he was actually planning advocacy visits to JIBWIS and similar  influential bodies.

“NDLEA will take advantage of the platforms offered by JIBWIS to collaborate with them, and save the majority of Nigerians who have never taken drugs and also to ensure we bring out those who are already involved, ” he stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group’s entourage included the Chairman, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, General Secretary, Dr. Mahammed Kabir Haruna Gombe; Director General, Ahmad Ibrahim Lau; Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Rijiyan Lemo and Rabiu Idris Muhammed, General Manager, Manara Sat TV. (NAN)

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