By Nkechi Eze
In a renewed effort to ensure that only candidates with the right mental and moral disposition are admitted into the Nigeria Police Force, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Hashimu Argungu, has sought the collaboration of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in conducting drug integrity tests for police recruits nationwide.
This request was made during a courtesy visit by the PSC management team to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), at the agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, 22nd July 2025.
Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed the development in an official statement, noted that the visit was aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration to enhance the quality of personnel emerging from police training colleges across the country.
While commending the NDLEA for its previous support, DIG Argungu (rtd) emphasized the importance of ensuring that the recruitment process is not compromised by individuals with a history of drug abuse. “I feel there is a need to come and plead, to seek for the assistance and cooperation of this organization, because we follow process and procedures in anything we do so that we can produce the best results,” he said.
Argungu warned that if due processes are not strictly adhered to during recruitment, the final outcome will be flawed. “Recruitment in anywhere, in any sector, if bad eggs are in the process, the product or the people you are training is not going to be good. So, we feel it’s very, very important,” he stated.
He further revealed that the screening of recruits would be decentralized to various states of the federation and emphasized the strategic role of the NDLEA, which maintains a presence in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. “We want them to assist us in screening those who are already on drugs in whatever form because we can’t churn out and put arms in the hands of people already dependent on illicit drugs. That is dangerous. This is the main reason why we are here, and we are thanking you for your cooperation,” he added.
In his response, NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (rtd), welcomed the collaboration and acknowledged the gravity of drug abuse as a national security threat. He described drug use as a cross-cutting challenge affecting every facet of national life, and as a major driver of insecurity across the country.
“On your request for drug integrity test for new police recruits, we are delighted about this and we’re happy to collaborate with you on this,” Marwa said. “We are prepared across all our commands all over the country with high quality test kits that will give you the right results. This is important because candidates play all manner of tricks with urine samples but our kits are produced to detect all of those.”
He assured the PSC delegation that the NDLEA was fully ready to support the exercise, pledging seamless collaboration from the agency’s field offices nationwide. “You can rest assured we’ll be glad to work with you and support you on this,” Marwa affirmed.
The meeting ended with mutual commitment from both agencies to deepen cooperation in order to uphold integrity, discipline, and professionalism within the ranks of the Nigeria Police Force.
