The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has destroyed over 560,068.31414 kilograms of assorted drugs in furtherance of its war against illicit drugs in the country.
The illicit substances include 7,414.519kg cocaine; 161,206kg heroin; 1,144.8kg methamphetamine; 60,144kg ephedrine; 311,416.19162kg cannabis sativa; 10,091.83kg khat; 273.223kg tramadol; 0.000170kg benylin with codeine among others.
Burning the drugs at a ceremony attended by other security agencies, Lagos, Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the exercise is a strong message to drug barons and cartels that it is no longer business as usual.
Gen. Marwa said, “It is gratifying to know that our drug law enforcement efforts are not in vain. Our efforts not only resulted in the seizure of the aforementioned drugs but also culminated in the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the offenders in court.
“Since January 2021, we have arrested over 17,647 drug offenders of which 2,385 have been convicted in court.
“In the process, we have seized over 3.5 million kilos of assorted drugs”
The NDLEA boss added that the agency is broadening its drug demand reduction efforts and especially working hard on drug use prevention programmes. Among other measures, it is also reaching out to young people through prevention messages on its social media platforms.
Gen. Marwa continued by saying that he is aware that some teenagers and young adults are exposed to drugs at a young age, especially in underprivileged environments, but he added that the agency is collaborating with other institutions to offer this vulnerable group educational opportunities, training in practical skills, and other forms of socioeconomic support.
The NDLEA chief stated that the agency will continue to evolve new approaches and broaden its scope of operations while urging stakeholders not to give up on the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
