Abuja, Nigeria — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 identified drug barons, and seized more than 5.5 million kilogrammes of illicit substances within the past two years.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Wednesday during the inauguration of 48 new operational vehicles for the agency’s strategic commands and formations in Abuja.
“We have arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, leading to the seizure of more than 5.5 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances,” Marwa said. “These were recovered from our streets, communities, warehouses, border routes, and ports nationwide, with 704.445 hectares of cannabis farms destroyed.”
According to Marwa, the agency secured 8,682 convictions of traffickers and kingpins, with assets forfeited to the Federal Government, while 24,173 drug users were treated and rehabilitated at 30 rehabilitation centres nationwide.
In addition, the NDLEA conducted 8,698 War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, motor parks, and communities, aimed at reducing demand for illicit substances.
Marwa stressed that the fight against drug abuse was central to national security, noting the link between illicit substances and violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency, and cult violence.
“Drug trafficking emboldens perpetrators, strips moral restraint, and replaces hope with recklessness,” he warned.
Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, praised President Bola Tinubu’s support for NDLEA’s operations, while Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, commended the agency’s professionalism in challenging environments.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, confirmed that the vehicles were procured through due process and met national standards, describing NDLEA as “a model for other government agencies.”
The event also featured the decoration of 15 newly promoted Commanders of Narcotics with the rank of Assistant Commander General of Narcotics.
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