As implied in some accounts, the NDLEA claims that it did not request the purchase of sniffer dogs in its budget proposal for 2023.
Its spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, claimed on Saturday in Abuja that retired general and NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa merely mentioned dogs while defending the organization’s proposed 2023 budget.
In response to a query from Hon. Francis Agbo, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, during the budget defense, Marwa mentioned dogs, the speaker continued.
The chairman, according to him, solely discussed the high expense of specialized dogs.
The question, he continued, focused on the requirement for sniffer dogs at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Marwa defended the NDLEA’s 2023 budget in front of the committee on November 4.
According to Babafemi, in answer to Agbo’s inquiry, Marwa mentioned that the overall cost of obtaining a specialized dog, including the canine’s training, ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 dollars.
He cited Marwa’s testimony to the committee in which she claimed that the trained canines could find up to 70 different kinds of drugs and chemicals.
Marwa claimed that anyone looking to learn the truth about the dogs may easily and publicly verify the price online.
In fact, the total cost of some specialized dogs can range from $30,000 to $80,000, particularly those utilized for special protection, detection, and law enforcement in other regions.
Depending on the tasks and talents they would be taught in, they might cost more.
In fact, a dog may be purchased from Harrison K-9, a business situated in Aiken, South Carolina, for up to $230,000.
“This is because getting specialized dogs requires more than just paying for them.
At the budget defense, Marwa said, “It is a whole package that involves the training of the dogs and their handlers as a team over a period of months.
He mentioned in his answer to the query that the German government provides sniffer dogs for use by the NDLEA, and he also added that the organization has already purchased new scanners for use at airports.
He claimed that all of these have played a significant role in the daily arrests and seizures carried out by NDLEA officers and men.
“The German government, which has provided the sniffer dogs now in use and has even added more this year, has our continued gratitude.
Additionally, a sniffer dog academy is being built for usage by the NDLEA and other organizations in the sub-region.
This is the reason the agency hasn’t asked for the specialized dogs and hasn’t asked for them in its most recent budget submission to the National Assembly,” And Marwa said.
