NDLEA Destroys N301bn Drugs, Vows To Cripple Cartels’ Financial Networks

By Bukar BOLORI

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed 329,865.585 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs worth an estimated N301.058 billion, sending a fresh warning to drug barons, traffickers and financiers that the agency will not only seize their consignments but pursue the financial networks sustaining their operations.

The court-ordered destruction, conducted in Lagos on Monday, involved illicit drugs seized in concluded and uncontested cases as well as abandoned consignments.

The exercise, carried out at Navy Town, Ojo, followed orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division.

Of the total quantity destroyed, 246,864.535 kilogrammes was seized by the Lagos Strategic Command between April 2025 and May 2026, while another 83,001.05 kilogrammes came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, the Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit operating in Lagos.

The substances destroyed included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis varieties such as Canadian Loud and skunk, ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup and other opioids, as well as khat leaves.

Speaking at the ceremony, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), described the destruction as a demonstration of Nigeria’s determination to protect its citizens while depriving criminal networks of the resources needed to sustain their activities.

Marwa warned that the agency’s campaign would go beyond the seizure and destruction of drugs to targeting the people and financial structures behind the illicit trade.

“Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” he declared, vowing that the NDLEA would remain “resolute, relentless and uncompromising” in dismantling criminal networks and their financial backbone.

According to him, every kilogramme of narcotics taken off the streets represents more than the destruction of contraband, as drug abuse fuels addiction, crime, impaired driving, family breakdown and social dislocation.

He further warned that the illicit drug economy carries wider economic consequences, weakening the labour force, increasing healthcare costs, discouraging investment and diverting public resources that could otherwise be channelled into education, healthcare and infrastructure.

Marwa also linked drug trafficking to Nigeria’s wider security challenges, noting that proceeds from the illicit trade can finance organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism.

He said the destruction therefore represented not only a public-health intervention but also an important contribution to Nigeria’s national security.

The NDLEA chairman commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the agency’s mandate and acknowledged the contributions of the judiciary, Lagos State Government, military, sister security agencies, international partners, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, the media and members of the public.

He also paid tribute to NDLEA officers serving across the country, particularly those operating in Lagos, for the risks and sacrifices involved in combating the illicit drug trade.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the destruction of nearly 330 tonnes of narcotics and psychotropic substances as a “huge and sobering reminder” of the scale of the drug threat confronting Nigerian communities, particularly young people.

The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said the exercise also demonstrated what could be achieved when law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and government institutions worked together.

He assured that Lagos State would remain committed to combating drug abuse and trafficking.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the NDLEA deserved commendation for its sustained campaign against illicit drugs.

Adeniyi said the volume destroyed was significant not only because of its monetary value but because the seizures represented operations conducted across Nigeria’s airports, seaports and land borders.

He warned drug dealers that they were no longer welcome in Nigeria.

The Customs chief drew a direct connection between the illicit drug economy and violent non-state actors, saying proceeds from drugs provide what he described as the “oxygen” sustaining criminal activities.

He specifically mentioned banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency and terrorism.

According to him, destroying the consignments would simultaneously deprive drug traffickers of investments worth billions of naira and deny violent groups access to resources that could support their operations.

He commended Marwa and NDLEA officers responsible for the seizures.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha, also assured the agency of the Nigerian Navy’s continued support for the country’s drug-control efforts.

The latest destruction underscores the growing emphasis of Nigeria’s drug-control strategy on inter-agency cooperation, disruption of supply chains and the seizure of criminal proceeds, as the government intensifies its campaign against illicit drugs and the organised networks behind them.

For the NDLEA, however, the message from Lagos was unequivocal: seizing the drugs is only part of the battle; dismantling the cartels and cutting off their money remains the bigger target.