‘NDLEA arrests 29,262 suspects, seizes N1.5tn drugs’

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested 29,262 suspected drug traffickers, seized illicit drugs worth over N1.5tn and secured the conviction of 5,225 offenders in the last 18 months, the agency said on Friday.

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The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this in Abuja on Friday at the grand finale of activities marking the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

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Marwa, according to a statement shared with Saturday PUNCH by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said the agency had intensified intelligence-led operations against drug syndicates, leading to major breakthroughs in dismantling transnational trafficking networks.

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He disclosed that the NDLEA, working with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and law enforcement agencies in Greece, France and Switzerland, recently dismantled the notorious Amadi Simon drug cartel.

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“We have also successfully disrupted another international methamphetamine syndicate with the arrest of a 63-year-old Nigerian drug baron, Innocent Anochili, three Mexican nationals and six Nigerian accomplices,” he said.

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Marwa added that the agency also uncovered and dismantled an industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, where a Mexican national and four others were arrested.

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“In the past five years, we have arrested no fewer than 234 suspected drug barons linked to major trafficking networks.

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“In the last 18 months alone, the agency arrested 29,262 suspects, seized 5,305,484.88 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs valued at over N1.5tn and secured the conviction of 5,225 offenders.

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“These numbers represent more than just data; they represent millions of lives saved, billions of naira in criminal wealth confiscated and a future reclaimed for our youths,” he said.

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On drug prevention, Marwa said the agency had conducted 6,645 awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative, reaching nearly five million Nigerians in schools, places of worship, workplaces, markets, motor parks, communities and correctional facilities.

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He added that 13,508 drug users had received counselling, treatment and rehabilitation across the agency’s 31 rehabilitation centres nationwide within the same period.

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In his remarks, President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking through stronger law enforcement, innovation and international collaboration.

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Speaking on the theme, “The World Drug Problem: Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses,” the President said the Federal Government would continue to intensify efforts to dismantle drug cartels while addressing the root causes of substance abuse through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

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Tinubu also commended Marwa and NDLEA personnel for recording increased arrests, seizures, convictions, asset forfeitures, rehabilitation programmes and the dismantling of organised drug trafficking networks, including those behind the country’s largest methamphetamine laboratories.

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“These achievements stand as a testament to our administration’s zero tolerance for organised crime and an unwavering commitment to safeguarding society from the devastating effects of narcotics,” the President said.

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He, however, stressed that government alone could not win the war against drug abuse, calling on parents, schools, religious and traditional leaders, the media and the private sector to support prevention, rehabilitation and awareness efforts.

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Delivering the guest lecture, Prof. Oluwatoyin Odeku of the Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, said the country had recorded measurable progress in combating illicit drugs over the past five years.

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“When the NDLEA was re-energised in 2021, many thought the drug war was unwinnable. Today, the data tells a different story, and we have reasons to celebrate,” she said.

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Also speaking, the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Cheikh Touré, represented by Dr Akanidomo Ibanga, commended the Federal Government for adopting what he described as a balanced and evidence-based approach to drug control.

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He reaffirmed the UN agency’s commitment to supporting Nigeria through technical assistance, partnerships and innovative solutions to tackle the country’s evolving drug challenges.

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The event also featured the presentation of prizes to winners of the NDLEA National Secondary School Essay Competition.

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Jennifer Ikpeamachi of Federal Government College, Enugu, won the first prize of N500,000 and a trophy, while Aliyu Kama of General Murtala Muhammed College, Yola, received the second prize of N300,000 and Chiagoziem Ikechukwu of Mimshak Academy, Abia State, won the third prize of N200,000.

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