The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it seized cash and illicit drugs worth over N130bn in 2021.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), revealed this on Monday in Abuja at a press briefing on the occasion of his one year in office.
He also said the agency secured 1,400 convictions of offenders within the same period.
Gen Marwa said, “We can take solace in the fact that our achievements of 2021 surpassed the records of any given year of the past 30 years. In drug supply reduction, our interdiction efforts yielded unparalleled results, which as of December 31, 2021, were arrests of 12,306 suspects, including seven drug barons.
“We had conviction of 1,400 offenders; pending 1,502 cases in court; seizure of over 3.4m kilogrammes of assorted drugs; drugs and cash seized worth over N130bn; 406 hectares of Indian hemp farms destroyed; contributions to the Consolidated Account through assets forfeiture; and 7,761 drug users counselled and rehabilitated in NDLEA facilities.”
He also said that a special task force was currently working across the country to track and dismantle drug cartels behind the production and distribution of methamphetamine, popularly called mkpuru mmiri being abused by youths in parts of the country.
He challenged communities across Nigeria to take ownership of the war against drug abuse as those in the South East states were doing, by standing up to those engaging in abuse and trafficking of illicit drugs.
