DRUG KINGPINS WANTED TO KILL ME, SAYS RETIRED ANTI-DRUGS UNIT BOSS

Retired head of the Anti-Drugs Unit (ADU) Godfrey Nzowa has revealed that his ten years at the forefront of the war on drugs made him many enemies, who at one time plotted to kill him.   
Arusha. Retired head of the Anti-Drugs Unit (ADU) Godfrey Nzowa has revealed that his ten years at the forefront of the war on drugs made him many enemies, who at one time plotted to kill him.
Mr Nzowa, reputed to have bean a no-nonsense drug buster who arrested dozens of notorious drug kingpins and seized record amounts of narcotics, told The Citizen in an exclusive interview in Arusha that he received numerous death threats during his time as the country’s drugs czar.
He said drug traffickers persistently worked to have him on their side, and recalled that he was once offered a Sh3 billion bribe after masterminding the seizure of a drug haul and arrest of several suspects.
ADU seized 1,173 and 395 kilogrammes of heroin and cocaine, respectively, while Mr Nzowa was at the helm. Over 2,800 suspects were arrested between January 2009 and December 2014.
The former ADU boss said he gave drug cartels sleepless nights to the extent that they attempted to eliminate him in Nairobi in 2007, barely a year after his appointment.

Nairobi assassination plot
Mr Nzowa said he was attending a meeting organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) when he received what he described as credible information that hired assassins planned to kill him on his way to his hotel from the conference venue.
“They planned to waylay me somewhere between the conference venue and my hotel. Their plan was to ambush me on my way to the hotel,” he said.
Having been alerted to the plot, the former police officer said he left the conference venue a few hours before the day’s sessions ended and took a different route in a different car. Mr Nzowa said this was just one of numerous threats he contended with during his tenure.
“There were so many threats. It is only by the grace of God that I’m alive today.”
Mr Nzowa also recalled a death threat he received soon after seizing over 200 kilogrammes of heroin in Lindi Region in January 2012.
“Immediately after the haul was seized, I received a text message saying, ‘Today you are swimming in water but the days are coming when you will find yourself swimming in mud, where we will teach you a lesson...we will kill you...we will mutilate you’,” he said.

Turning down Sh3 billion bribe
The former ADU boss, who made a name for himself when he smashed a ring that had specialised in robbing gemstone dealers of tanzanite in Arusha Region in the 1990s, also spoke of the day four men he arrested with 95 kilogrammes of heroin offered him a Sh 3 billion bribe to set them free.
“They were desperate and in great fear when they realised I was the one who led the operation. The ringleader asked me to give them five minutes to call somebody to bring the money in cash,” he said.
Mr Nzowa, who was known to be incorruptible, added: “I told them point-blank that I’m not used to that. As boss of the Anti-Drugs Unit, accepting bribe amounted to committing professional suicide.”
He said he does not regret not taking the money, adding that he was always guided by the Bible, which says that those who reject bribes will be rewarded with a better life.
Mr Nzowa also recalled how he was approached by a prominent lawyer who had been paid Sh50 million to try to convince him to meet wealthy drug dealers for “talks”.

Safety concerns
Having arrested many high-profile drug dealers—Tanzanians as well as foreigners—Mr Nzowa said he was concerned about his safety and security now that he has retired.
“I don’t have any protection whatsoever. That was withdrawn the moment I retired. Drug traffickers warned me that they would get me after I retired when I would have no protection.”
Mr Nzowa said the government should consider providing him with security because he made many enemies while he was serving the nation.
“This is not supposed to be something that someone should beg for. However, the situation I’m in doesn’t deny me sleep because God is my only protector,” said Mr Nzowa.

CREDIT: THE CITIZEN