NARTO collaborates with NDLEA to curb drug trafficking

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, has called for the sensitisation and training of its members on the dangers of drug trafficking and abuse.

The NARTO National President, Yusuf Othman, made the call on Thursday when he led other leaders of the transport union on a courtesy visit to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Mohamed Marwa, at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the statement, Othman disclosed the union’s readiness to collaborate with the NDLEA in curbing the use of trucks and passenger vehicles to traffic illicit drugs across the country.

He said: “Our truck and passenger vehicles traverse every region of the country, serving as the arteries of commerce and connectivity. However, we also recognise that these same routes are occasionally exploited by criminal elements to traffic illicit substances.

“We believe that collaboration between our association and the NDLEA is both necessary and urgent, and we are ready to play our part.

“We call for the sensitisation and training of NARTO drivers and transport operators on identifying and reporting suspicious cargo or behaviour; establishment of joint intelligence-sharing mechanisms to monitor drug trafficking routes and tactics; deployment of NDLEA liaison officers at major NARTO parks and depots across the federation, and public awareness campaigns.”

Responding, Marwa assured them of the NDLEA’s preparedness to work with NARTO, urging vehicle owners to always conduct background checks on their drivers to ensure they are not linked to any drug trafficking syndicate or hooked on illicit substances.

According to him, it saves owners the risk of losing their vehicles in preventable accidents or to the government if they are detected being used as instruments of illegal drug trafficking.