Mr Samaila Sagir, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ondo State, has underscored the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling drug abuse, trafficking and emerging security threats.
Sagir stated this while delivering lecture titled “Drug Abuse and Trafficking and Emerging Crime: The Need for Inter-Agency Collaboration for National Development” on Saturday in Akure.
The event was organised by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ondo Command, for its retiring State Commander Nanzing Salah.
According to Sagir, no single agency can address security challenges alone.
He stated that virtually all crimes currently confronting the country had links to drug abuse, noting that investigations of many criminal suspects revealed they committed offences while under the influence of illicit substances.
“Virtually all the crimes we are facing in this country have a link with drug abuse.
“Most of the criminals we arrested, in the course of briefing and debriefing, admitted committing such acts under the influence of drugs. That tells you the devastating impact of drug abuse,” he said.
Sagir said while the NDLEA had made significant progress in reducing drug supply and demand, sustained success required strong collaboration among security agencies, government institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
According to him, inter-agency collaboration entails coordinated efforts among law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, the military, development partners, traditional institutions and the private sector to safeguard national security.
Sagir described drug abuse as the improper use of substances in ways harmful to individuals and society, adding that illicit drug trafficking remained a global threat involving the cultivation, production, distribution and sale of prohibited substances.
He cited the recent rescue of kidnapped victims in Oyo State as an example of the gains of inter-agency collaboration.
He noted that the successful operation in Oyo involved the military, DSS, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Immigration, Customs, Federal Road Safety Corps and other agencies.
Sagir urged security agencies to sustain intelligence sharing and joint operations, saying that closer collaboration remained the most effective strategy for combating drug abuse, trafficking and other security threats in the country.
He congratulated the retiring commander for his dutiful service to the country in the last 35 years.
Speaking, the retiring Commander, Nanzing Salah appreciated God for his ability to serve the nation for 35 years.
Salah, who urged young officers in the service, to be disciplined and patient, said: “When you are not patient, it is also not going to be easy.
“We have no other country than Nigeria and it is by the small effort that each of us are playing that makes the whole and therefore, Nigeria is our own, we need to be honest to serving it.
“For me, for those who have worked with me, you know that I wasn’t a saint, that I wasn’t a bad one. If I could get to this level, I know that with determination, with discipline, you will also make it even higher than this position that I am.
“I would want to announce to this important gathering that by the grace of God, I will be going to Abuja by tomorrow to be decorated with my new rank.”
Also, the Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor on Special Duties, Gani Mohammed described the retiring commander as a dedicated officer who did not get his hand soiled on duty.
The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Samuel Ibitoye, praised the retiring NDEA commander for the dedication and the impact he made while in service.
Ibitoye noted that the celebration was a day to reflect on his activities while in service and not the end of serving humanity. (NAN)
