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Marwa advocates removal of fine option in NDLEA Act
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), said on Wednesday the removal of the fine options from the agency’s Act would strengthen the deterrence effect of court prosecution and conviction.
Marwa, according to a statement issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics for the defence of the agency’s 2022 budget.
He said the clause that allowed the option of fines for drug offenders in the agency’s Act was currently undergoing amendment in the National Assembly.
The NDLEA chief said he had also visited the Chief Judge of Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Tsoho, on the ridiculous options of fine given to drug traffickers in the country.
READ ALSO: NDLEA arrests notorious drug dealer
He stressed that the removal of the clause that allowed judges to use discretionary powers to give an option of fines would resolve the issue.
On the allocation of N38.1billion to NDLEA in the 2022 budget proposal, Marwa said though the allocation may not solve all the problems facing the agency it was a great improvement on the previous budgets.
He said: “As such, we want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Finance, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and more importantly, the leadership of the National Assembly and this esteemed Committee on Drugs and Narcotics for giving us all the support we need to make the progress being talked about today.”
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