The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday publicly destroyed 329,865.585 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs worth an estimated N301.058 billion in Lagos.
The court-ordered destruction exercise, conducted on Monday at Navy Town, Ojo, followed orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, covering uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures.
According to the NDLEA, 246,864.535 kg of the drugs were seized by its Lagos Strategic Command between April 2025 and May 2026.
Another 83,001.05 kg came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Tin Can and Apapa Strategic Commands, the Marine Command, and a Special Operations Unit operating in Lagos.
The destroyed consignments comprised mainly cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and various strains of cannabis, including Canadian Loud and skunk.
Other substances destroyed included ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup, other opioids, and khat leaves.
Speaking at the exercise, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), described the destruction as a demonstration of Nigeria’s determination to protect its citizens and disrupt the resources available to criminal networks.
“Behind every kilogramme of narcotics destroyed lies a story of a young life at risk, a family torn apart by addiction, and communities endangered by drug-related crime and impaired driving,” Marwa said.
He said illicit drugs impose wider economic and social costs on the country by weakening the labour force, increasing healthcare expenditure, discouraging investment, and diverting public resources that could otherwise support education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Marwa also linked drug trafficking to Nigeria’s wider security challenges, noting that the illicit trade helps finance organised crime, terrorism, and violent extremism.
He said every seizure therefore represented not only the removal of dangerous substances from circulation but also a blow against criminal networks and their financial resources.
The NDLEA chairman warned drug barons, traffickers, financiers, distributors, and dealers that the agency would intensify its efforts to dismantle their networks.
“Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” he said.
Marwa vowed that the agency would remain “resolute, relentless, and uncompromising” in pursuing criminal networks and dismantling their financial structures.
He called for greater involvement of parents, schools, religious and traditional leaders, the media, and other Nigerians in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
“The battle cannot be won by the NDLEA alone,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the scale of the destruction as a reminder of the seriousness of the drug threat facing communities and young people.
“The scale of what has been destroyed today, about 300 tonnes of narcotics and psychotropic substances, is a huge and sobering reminder of the enormity of the threat that illicit drugs pose to our communities, our young people, and our collective future,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, the governor said Lagos remained committed to confronting drug abuse and trafficking.
“Lagos State is unwavering in its resolve to confront drug abuse and trafficking, and we will not relent in our efforts to do this,” he said.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, also commended the NDLEA and its partners, saying the seizures reflected operations conducted across seaports, airports, and land borders.
“NDLEA deserves all the accolades they have received from local and international partners,” Adeniyi said.
He added that the destruction sent “a very strong message to drug dealers that they are no longer welcome in Nigeria.”
Adeniyi said drug trafficking had a direct connection with violent non-state actors, including bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents, and terrorists.
“Bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents, terrorists—this is their oxygen,” he said, stressing that disrupting the drug trade would deny criminal groups resources needed to sustain their activities.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha, assured the NDLEA of the Nigerian Navy’s continued support for the country’s drug control efforts.
Credit: tvcnews.tv
