On Thursday, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency burned more than 560,068 kilograms of various illicit drugs that its agents had taken from people who had been found guilty and given sentences by the Federal High Court, as well as abandoned seizures, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Command, the Lagos State Command, and the Seme Special Area Command.
In the 32-year history of the anti-narcotics organization, this was the largest collection of illicit substances that were destroyed, according to Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA.
Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (ret.), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, said the exercise was a clear message to drug lords and cartels as he led other senior officials of the NDLEA, representatives of other security agencies, and members of the public in burning piles of illegal substances.
He said that If drug barons do not pull out and look for other legal enterprises, they will continue to lose their significant investments in the illegal trade.
A breakdown of the 560,068.31414 kilograms of the illicit substances burnt at a brief ceremony in Badagary area of Lagos 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 and 8,207.7505kg of other psychotropic substances.
Speaking at the ceremony, 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 incident, he continued, was just another sign that the NDLEA’s officers and personnel would not give up on their mission to rid Nigeria of the drug plague.
Marwa said, “I stand here today before you to give the assurance that NDLEA will continue to explore various ways, legal and within the ambit of orthodox drug law enforcement, to address the drug problem in the country.
“We equally appreciate the contribution of our local and international partners, who were instrumental to the successes we have recorded. We also thank members of society who are working with us to safeguard the health of our communities.”
