ASHENEWS reports that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has seized drugs worth N635 million from drug traffickers since January 2021.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa stated this when he met with members of the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics.
According to Marwa, 36,096 drug traffickers, among which include 40 barons were arrested while 6,668 tons of drugs were recovered.
“About 957.319 hectares of cannabis farms have been destroyed across 12 states within the period under review, while we successfully prosecuted and got convictions in 6,043 cases.
“Presently, there are 11,166 pending cases in Federal High Court across the country. And between January 2021 and September 2023, over 27,432 drug-dependent individuals have been counseled and discharged from our counseling and treatment facilities across the country,” he said.
Marwa described drug abuse as the basis of the security challenges facing not only Nigeria but other nations and as such, no effort must be spared in addressing the problem.
In his address, the chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo assured the NDLEA that the committee is fully committed to working with it to tackle the menace.
“All the members have assured that they would contribute and do their best in working to eradicate the use of illicit drugs and narcotics in Nigeria. We will consider the possibility of having an emergency summit on drugs because of the seriousness of the issue,” he said.
