The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 29,262 suspected drug offenders, seized 5,305,484.88 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs valued at over ₦1.5 trillion, and secured the conviction of 5,225 offenders in the last 18 months.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed the figures on Wednesday at the opening of the National Drug Use Summit in Abuja, themed “Addressing Illicit Drug Use and Trafficking: A Call to National Action.”
Marwa said the agency’s achievements reflected a balanced strategy that combines drug supply reduction with prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
According to him, the NDLEA conducted 6,645 drug use prevention and sensitisation programmes across schools, worship centres, workplaces, markets, motor parks, communities and correctional facilities within the period, equipping nearly five million Nigerians with life skills to resist drug abuse.
He added that 13,508 drug users received counselling, treatment and rehabilitation through the agency’s 31 rehabilitation centres nationwide, while the recently launched Alternative Development Initiative is helping cannabis growers transition from illicit cultivation to sustainable livelihoods.
Declaring the summit open, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr. Adamu Ibrahim Kana, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to preventing illicit drug use, dismantling trafficking networks, expanding access to treatment and rehabilitation, and promoting the wellbeing of Nigerians.
Akume said the Tinubu administration would continue to strengthen prevention, rehabilitation, policy implementation and community resilience under the Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that no nation could attain sustainable development while its youth remained under the threat of substance abuse.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, urged stakeholders to ensure the summit delivers measurable outcomes, saying its success should be judged by the number of young people who avoid drugs, patients who recover and families restored.
Also speaking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative, Mr. Cheikh Toure, represented by Dr. Akanidomo Ibanga, reaffirmed the UN’s support for Nigeria’s National Drug Control Master Plan, calling for coordinated, evidence-based action to address the country’s evolving drug challenge.
The summit brought together representatives of government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, the military, security agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to chart a coordinated national response to illicit drug use and trafficking.
