The Outgoing Commanding Officer (CO) 72 Special Forces Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Abdulkadir Alhassan was recently, decorated with Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) War Against Drugabuse Ambassador (WADA) award at the Battalion Headquarters in Makurdi.
The NDLEA Director, Benue State Command, Mrs Esther Musa while decorating Lieutenant Colonel Alhassan with the WADA medal said, the CO was highly instrumental in the huge successes her Command recorded in its 2021 operations.
She thanked the senior officer for the consistent support his unit had given the agency in conducting several raids and arrests into enclaves of dangerous drug abusers, growers
and traffickers in Benue State.
“Lots of these drug abusers and traffickers had in the past resisted several attempts at being arrested by the NDLEA agents to the extent of fighting back the NDLEA operatives with dangerous weapons but since the outgoing Commanding Officer began rendering support to the agency by allowing a detachment of his men accompany the NDLEA operatives during raid missions on drug traffickers hideouts the resistance by the dangerous traffickers had drastically been eliminated.
“This cooperation between the 72 Special Forces Battalion troops and the NDLEA recorded some of its biggest successes during the recently concluded Nigerian Army EXERCISE ENDURING PEACE which was an Army Headquarters Project ran in Benue state to assist in curbing violence ,kidnapping and banditry in Benue state during the last Christmas period.
“The Exercise was conducted under the auspices of the 401 Special Forces Brigade and lasted between October and December 2021.
The NDLEA Director who came in company of some of her staff officers for the decoration and award presentation said, she hoped the award will spur him to be relentless in his efforts of fighting for a drug free society and also enjoined other officers of the Battalion to emulate the examplary leadership qualities the CO has exhibited.
