The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has arrested 23,907 drug traffickers, including 29 drug barons, in 22 months.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.)noted that within the period, the agency seized 5.5 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs worth N450bn, secured the conviction of 3,434 offenders, and counselled and rehabilitated 16,114 drug abuse victims.
Marwa spoke on Tuesday during the agency’s awards and decoration of newly promoted officers at the NDLEA headquarters, Abuja.
He said, “Within the period under review, the agency arrested 23,907 drug traffickers, including 29 barons. Our seizure was over 5,500 tons or 5.5 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs, which together with cash seized are worth over N450bn.”
Marwa noted that within the same period, the NDLEA took the fight to the doorsteps of cannabis growers by destroying 772.5 hectares of cannabis farms.
The NDLEA boss said, “In these 22 months, we have recorded the conviction of 3,434 offenders. We have equally made good strides in our drug demand reduction efforts, where the number of those counselled and rehabilitated is 16,114.
“The figures are mere statistics until you view them through the lens of human impact and the good or harm that could have come to society, the impact on public health, security, as well as law and order if those dangerous drugs had gone to the streets. Take, for instance, the one hundred million pills of tramadol seized in the past 22 months.
“If those pills had gone into circulation and ended up in the hands of young people, they would take a heavy toll on lives, families, productivity and, ultimately, the GDP of the country because they will affect these young people who are the engine room of productivity.”
