Some officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have accused the Chairman, Colonel Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.) of aiding the activities of drug barons and criminals.

According to SaharaReporters, Colonel Abdallah has also been accused of pilfering the sum of N528 million, the equivalent of 85 percent of the agency’s monthly allocation for two years, on inappropriate foreign travels.

The allegations were contained in a petition signed by one Musa Ahmed Yusuf on behalf a group that calls itself Concerned Officers.

According to the petition, the NDLEA Chairman spends an average of N11 million monthly on foreign trips. This, said the staff, has ensured that the welfare of low and medium level as well as top management staff is neglected.

The petition, dated November 6 and, exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, was copied to the Senate Committee on Drugs and Financial Crimes, House Committee on Drugs & Financial Crimes, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, National Security Adviser, Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Femi Falana Chambers.

The petitioners mentioned the case of Senator Buruji Kashamu (Ogun East), as one of the high profile cases swept under the carpet by Abdallah due to personal interest. They added that many high profile drug cases have also been covered up by the Colonel Abdallah-led management.

Because of his willingness to do deals with drug offenders, alleged the petitioners, drug barons in the United States of America have become more emboldened, leading to an increase in their activities.

On account of this, stated the petitioners, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Corruption (UNODC), now has an estranged relationship with the country.

The petitioners pointed out that the UNODC and other allies of the country were absent from the ceremony commemorating the 2017 World Drug Day in Abuja.

Since Colonel Abdallah took over two years ago, the staff further alleged, there has been a sharp dip in the frequency of arrests and drug seizures, a development that is making NDLEA facilities across the country brim with drug-dependent persons seeking rehabilitation.

“In the history of the NDLEA, drug barons have not had a better time than now. In fact, they are having a field day, producing and selling drugs to the detriment of the country. Abdallah has not taken steps to checkmate the activities of drug barons,” Concerned Staff stated in the petition.

The petition further quoted a July 24, 2017, circular (Ref NDLEA/ADM/400/2/V/124), titled “Re: ‘Voluntary Donation for the Families of Our Officers who Died in Active Service”, as an indication of Colonel Abdallah’s loss of vision. Three NDLEA officers (Onwumere Nicholas, Peter Ebun, and Abdulrahman Musa), said the petitioners, were killed by gunmen in Kogi on October 13. The gunmen made away with their rifles. According to the petitioners, the NDLEA gave the families of the deceased officers a total sum of N50,000, amounting to N16,600 for each family.

“There is no succor for both the living and the dead. This situation has heightened the frustration of officers concerning the criminal neglect by a callous management. The deplorable and extreme hardship is unbearable,” the petition added.

The disaffected staff called for immediate suspension of Colonel Abdallah as well as the appointment of a more competent person with integrity, preferably a retired Major-General or an Inspector-General of Police, to correct the administrative abnormalities in the agency.

They equally demanded an exercise of immediate harmonisation and proper placement of officers.

Also being demanded is the provision of life insurance policy for staff and prosecution of Colonel Abdallah for the grief experienced by families of deceased officers.

Other demands include better remuneration, decent offices provision of drug control technological tools, and increased funding/provision of logistic support for the agency such as operational vehicles, scanning machines, sniffer dogs, rehabilitation centres and public enlightenment programs.