The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested 77,792 drug suspects and seized about 14,847 kilograms of illicit drugs over the past five years, marking what it described as a major disruption of local and transnational drug trafficking networks.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the NDLEA Commands, Awards and Commendations Ceremony, where outstanding commands and personnel were honoured.
Marwa said the arrests included 128 identified drug barons who played key roles in major trafficking operations, adding that the outcomes reflected sustained reforms to reposition the agency for effective and intelligence-led operations.
“In the last five years, we recorded significant successes, including the arrest of 77,792 drug offenders and the seizure of 14,847,000 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs, thereby disrupting both local and transnational supply chains,” he said.
He added that the agency secured 14,225 convictions within the period, noting that successful prosecutions had strengthened deterrence and reinforced the consequences of drug-related crimes.
Beyond enforcement, Marwa said NDLEA intensified drug demand reduction efforts, with 32,442 drug users benefiting from counselling, treatment and rehabilitation programmes nationwide. He added that 13,735 sensitisation activities were conducted under the War Against Drug Abuse campaign across schools, markets, motor parks and communities.
The NDLEA boss attributed the achievements to improved intelligence gathering, stronger inter-agency collaboration, capacity building and enhanced welfare for officers, as well as internal reward systems that boosted morale.
Marwa thanked President Bola Tinubu for approving the extension of his tenure for another five years, describing it as a renewed mandate to intensify the fight against drug trafficking and abuse. He assured Nigerians that the agency would sustain pressure on traffickers, vowing that “there will be no hiding place for drug barons, couriers or traffickers.”