By IBIRONKE ARIYO

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, and seized over 5.5 million kilogrammes of illicit substances in two years.

NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, disclosed this in his welcome address during the inauguration of 48 new vehicles for strategic commands and formations on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that In two years of President Bola Tinubu?s administration, the NDLEA had recorded remarkable successes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

?We have arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, leading to the seizure of more than 5.5 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances.

?These were recovered from our streets, communities, warehouses, border routes, and ports nationwide, with 704.445 hectares of cannabis farms, hidden deep in forests, destroyed,? Marwa said.

He said the agency secured the conviction of 8,682 traffickers and kingpins, with assets forfeited to the Federal Government, sending a clear message that drug crimes attract legal consequences.

Marwa said 24,173 drug users had been treated and rehabilitated in 30 rehabilitation centres located across the country within the same period.

He added that 8,698 War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities were held in schools, worship centres, workplaces, motor parks, and communities to prevent substance abuse.

?These clearly created a fair balance between our drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts,? he stated.

Marwa said the agency?s achievements reflected both the resilience of its personnel and its growing operational capacity nationwide.

He noted that the fight against illicit drugs was far from over, with the illicit drug economy exploiting vulnerable youths, porous borders, and sometimes complicit actors.

?To remain effective, our response must evolve with sharper intelligence, stronger community engagement, and improved mobility and logistics,? he said.

Marwa stressed that tackling substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking was crucial to national security, as they fuel several violent crimes in the country.

?The link is undeniable: kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency, and cult violence are all fuelled by illicit substances.

?Drug trafficking emboldens perpetrators, strips moral restraint, and replaces hope with recklessness,? he said.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, commended President Tinubu for enabling NDLEA?s recorded successes under Marwa?s leadership in the last two years.

He noted the close connection between drug trafficking and other crimes, adding that illicit drugs embolden criminals, who appear ordinary once the influence wears off.

?That is why attention ought to be given to this fight. When I follow NDLEA activities, I am always very pleased,? Fagbemi said.

Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, lauded NDLEA?s courage, professionalism, and resilience in tackling threats posed by drugs in challenging conditions.

Musa said the new operational vehicles would significantly enhance the agency?s capacity and effectiveness in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse nationwide.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, congratulated President Tinubu for appointing competent leaders like Marwa to key national agencies.

Adedokun said the vehicles were procured through due process and met the required standards, commending NDLEA as a model for other government agencies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 15 newly promoted Commanders of Narcotics were decorated with their new rank of Assistant Commander General. (NAN)

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