By KELECHI OGUNLEYE

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has publicly destroyed 329,865.585 Kilo grammes of assorted illicit drugs.

The illicit drugs with an estimated street value of N301 billion were destroyed on Monday in Lagos, following a court-ordered exercise.

This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi on Monday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that the exercise conducted pursuant to orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, disposed of uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures.

He also said that speaking at the event, the NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa described the exercise as a bold demonstration of Nigeria’s resolve to protect her people and deny criminal enterprises the resources they needee to thrive.

Marwa noted that behind every kilo gramme of narcotics destroyed laid a story of a young life at risk, a family torn apart by addiction, and communities endangered by drug-related crime and impaired driving.

According to him, of the total consignment, 246,864.535 kilo grammes were seized by the Lagos Strategic Command of the Agency between April 2025 and May 2026.

“83,001.05 kilo grammes came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Tincan and Apapa strategic commands, as well as the Marine command and a Special Operations Unit, all operating within Lagos.”

Marwa said that the destroyed illicit drugs comprised mainly cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis of different strains including Canadian Loud and skunk, Ephedrine, Tramadol, Codeine syrup and other opioids, as well as Khat leaf.

The NDLEA boss said that the destroyed consignment represented more than the elimination of contraband.

He stressed that illicit drugs weakened the labour force, raised healthcare costs, discouraged investment and drained public resources that should go into education, healthcare and infrastructure.

He added that every consignment intercepted by the agency saved the country billions of naira in potential losses linked to addiction, crime and social dislocation.

Marwa also linked the trade in illicit drugs to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, noting that drug trafficking helped fund organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism globally.

He said that by seizing and destroying such substances, the agency was strengthening the country’s national security architecture.

He commended the support of President Bola Tinubu, and his administration’s strategic backing for the agency’s mandate, as well as the partnership of the Judiciary.

He also applauded the Lagos State Government, the military, sister security agencies, international partners, civil society, traditional institutions, the media and members of the public.

He paid tribute to NDLEA personnel across the country, particularly those serving in Lagos while acknowledging the risks and sacrifices they make in the course of their duty.

In his goodwill message, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi noted that the NDLEA deserved all the accolades they have received from local and international partners.

According to him, it is not just about the size of what we are seeing, but about the scope of what has been taken from operations conducted in our seaports, airports, and land borders.

“This therefore represents a very strong message to drug dealers that they are no longer welcomed in Nigeria.”

He noted that there’s a nexus between drug dealers and violent non-state actors because drug continues to provide the oxygen for their crime.

“Bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents, terrorists, this is their oxygen and so the destruction witnessed today is symbolic of two things.

“And these are that drug dealers are going to be losing investments worth billions of naira, and that we are going to be denying non-state violent actors the necessary oxygen that they need for their heinous crime.

“We hope that we suffocate them, deny them access to this kind of thing, and believe that this will continue to be their lot.

“They will continue to invest and they will continue to lose their investments. I want to commend the chairman of the NDLEA and all operatives throughout our commands who are responsible for this,” he said. (NAN)