"WE NEED MORE SNIFFER DOGS FOR DRUG WAR EACH COSTS $20,000" - NDLEA BOSS

Mohamed Buba Marwa

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Chairman, Buba Marwa, has stated that the organization needs more sniffer dogs to combat drug trafficking and the cartels that deal in it.

A sniffer dog can cost up to $20,000, according to Marwa, who stated this when defending his budget before the House of Representatives Committee on Narcotics on November 3 in Abuja.

According to reports, the committee's chairman, Francis Agbo (PDP, Benue), claimed that he noticed the agency's lack of a sniffer dog at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

"We definitely need dogs. Dogs cost between $15,000 and $20,000 each. I won't state in this forum to the hearing of the cartels how many dogs we have. We need more dogs. I will take the opportunity to express appreciation to the German criminal police - we work with them. On the dogs, they supply the dogs.

"They just supplied a few. More importantly, they are building a six million euro dog training school in Lagos which would be used also with our neighbours in ECOWAS," he said.

Reports state that the agency's lack of a sniffer dog was detected at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja by the committee's chairman, Francis Agbo (PDP, Benue).

In response to the remark, Mr. Marwa stated that although they have dogs, he will not disclose their number in order to prevent cartels from learning about their ability to operate.