NDLEA secures conviction of 5,147 drug offenders in 29 months
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Up to 5,147 drug offenders and 35 drug barons have been prosecuted and convicted in court since 2020, during which period a total 31,675 people were arrested for drug-related offences by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa disclosed the figures in Abuja at a briefing on the flag-off of activities to mark the 2023 United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking of Illicit Drugs.
“In the past two and half years, we have strengthened our law enforcement efforts to cut down on the supply of drugs in society,” said Marwa, represented by NDLEA Secretary Shedrack Haruna.
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Ensuring effective drug prevention
“In 29 months, we have arrested 31,675 drug offenders, including 35 barons; successfully prosecuted and got convicted 5,147 of them, and over 11,000 other cases still pending in court, while 23,725 drug users had been counselled and rehabilitated, majority of them through brief interventions,” Marwa added, per Vanguard.
“At least, 6.3 million kilograms of various illicit substances have been recovered in response to our efforts to sweep up drugs and shut down the distribution channels.
“We have destroyed 852.142 hectares of cannabis farms and dismantled three clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. I can assure you that even as we speak, NDLEA agents are busy with interdiction activities somewhere.”
Oliver Stolpe, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Country Representative, urged President Bola Tinubu to implement policies to effectively bolster the fight against illicit drug consumption.
“I hope policies that will determine the next four years in terms of drug prevention, drug treatment, drug interdiction, and everything that has to do essentially with our collective efforts to improve drug control and to make sure that they protect our societies from the menace of drug use disorder,” Stolpe said.
