The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at the weekend said its personnel would undergo a drug test to ascertain their mental alertness during official duties.
The Comptroller-General of NIS, Muhammad Babandede, disclosed this at the passing-out parade of the third Conversion Course of 509 officers at the Immigration Training School, Kano.
Babandede explained that as an agency of government empowered to use arms in the protection of Nigeria’s borders, it would be dangerous if the issue of drug abuse among its officers was not addressed.
He said, “You know President Muhammadu Buhari just inaugurated a committee on drug abuse. We are Nigerians. Every immigration officer is a Nigerian. We have about 28,000 Immigration officers.
“It is not only that we are Nigerians, we have been empowered with weapons to protect our country and territorial borders. If we don’t have a strategy to remove the syndrome of drug abuse from our officers, it will be very dangerous for us.
“I hope all other law enforcement agencies will do the same. You cannot give arms to people who take drugs. So, the best thing you can do is to start checking the situation.”
The NIS DG noted that though officers who tested positive for the use of such substance would be rehabilitated, those found not to have discontinued the habit would be disengaged.
Babandede explained, “The first stage will not be infinitum, it will be findings; and I will start with myself. That is why I said that the drug test starts with me. I will be the first person to do the test, others will follow.
“When we found you to have drug in your blood, we will rehabilitate you, we will guide you on how to stop it. We will conduct another test and I assure you, by the time we conclude the three tests, if the person does not change, it means that person cannot work with us.
“In the first test we carry out and we find out that you have high blood in you, we cannot give you weapons. You cannot have contact with weapons at all; this is very important, in terms of national security, because the government buys arms for us and we cannot use the same arms against our people. That is fundamental.”
Furthermore, he said the presidential committee on drug abuse had already done enough homework, adding, “The research on drug abuse in the country has already taken place”.
“President Buhari has set up a committee headed by Buba Marwa, with the office of the First Lady, the wife of Mr President, and the findings were very clear. Drug abuse is a big issue in our country, especially in the North.
“So, we must do something urgently to stop it, as the Immigration Service, because we are part of Nigeria and we are Nigerians. All law enforcement agencies are part of Nigerians, so we are also part of the problem; we must try to stop it.”