NDLEA SHAKEUP WEEDS OUT SOME BAD APPLES

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000033 SIPDIS DEA FOR OI, OC,OID,OIE,OEE,OSE STATE FOR INR/AA, INL/AF/W ROME FOR RD BENSON AND ARD PASQUARELLO E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR NI SUBJECT: NDLEA SHAKEUP WEEDS OUT SOME BAD APPLES REF: LAGOS 0003 Classified By: DEA ATTACHE SAM GAYE FOR REASONS 1.4 (D AND E) ¶1. (C) Summary: The new Chairman of the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Ahmadu Giade has taken a bold step in reorganizing the Agency, promoting a number of competent agents and banishing several ineffective, tainted ones to areas of little or no responsibility. Giade has also reassigned approximately one hundred agents formerly assigned to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. The most notable move was promoting Samuel Gadzama Bashir to Director of Operations and General Investigations, effectively the number two position in the Agency. Gadzama is a veteran agent with a history of good performance with the NDLEA/DEA Joint Task Force (JTF) and a very good working relationship with DEA. End summary. ¶2. (C) Close on the heels of our first meeting, NDLEA Chairman Giade implemented an initial round of reassignments affecting the Agency's most critical positions. Samuel Gadzama Bashir was promoted to Director of Operations and General Investigations, effectively the number two position. Gadzama, a veteran of numerous JTF undercover operations in the 90's, formerly served as the commander of NDLEA operations at MMIA and commander of the JTF. DEA has an excellent working relationship with Gadzama, and has made a concerted effort to groom him for greater responsibilities. ¶3. (C) Other notable reassignments include: Sani Sadiq, formerly commander in Kaduna, as Assistant Director in charge of the JTF; Sunday Drambi Ziraangey, formerly assistant Director for Administration and Personnel, as commander at Apapa Port in Lagos; Victor Cole-showers, formerly Assistant Director for Discipline, as commander at MMIA (Lagos); Hamza Umar, formerly commander at Tincan Port, as commander at Abuja International Airport; Adesoji Adetilewa Sodeke, formerly commander in Kwara State, as commander at Port Harcourt International Airport; and Ralph Nnaya Igwenagu, formerly Assistant Director for Investigations, as commander at Tincan Port. ¶4. (C) Conversely, a number of agents suspected of corruption were reassigned to remote state commands where there is little or no illegal drug activity. Aminu Shehu, formerly Director of Investigations at NDLEA headquarters, was reassigned as commander in Jigawa State, in the far north bordering Niger State. Joseph Obi, formerly commmander at Apapa Port in Lagos, has reassigned to Kwara State. Abullahi Abubakar Danburam, formerly commander at MMIA, has been reassigned to Yobe State, which is even more remote than Jigawa. Danburam, a close ally of former NDLEA Chairman Bello Lafiaji, was recently arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). ¶5. (C) Also, nearly one hundred NDLEA agents at MMIA in Lagos will be replaced. (Comment: There has been credible reports of collusion between NDLEA airport agents and drug traffickers. End comment.) ¶6. (C) Comment: These reassignments are an important indication that Chairman Giade wants to erase the stamp and stain of the Lafiaji era and reshape the Agency to show that he is in control. In reshaping the Agency, the steps that Giade has taken hold the promise of making it significantly better than it has been. HOWE