The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested 1,315 suspected drug peddlers in the past seven months as part of its intensified nationwide crackdown on illicit substances.
During the same period, the agency seized a total of 1,387,254.27kg of drugs and destroyed 43 cannabis farms covering more than 320 hectares across the country.
The report, obtained exclusively by our correspondent on Friday, shows cannabis remains the most seized drug in the country.
Of the total, 126,168.73kg of cannabis was recovered during operations, while 801,553.23kg was destroyed directly on farms in Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, and Osun States.
Monthly cannabis seizures included 11,573.11kg in January, peaking at 55,305.91kg in April before falling to 10,237.80kg in July.
NDLEA also seized other drugs widely abused by youths, including 362,741.17kg of codeine-based cough syrup, 84,806.62kg of Tramadol, 412.57kg of methamphetamine, 165.51kg of cocaine, and 16.19kg of heroin.
The report also shows codeine seizures peaked in May at 195,303.88kg, while Tramadol reached 76,002.61kg the same month. Methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin seizures were recorded monthly, with the highest cocaine seizure of 128.58kg occurring in January.
The agency’s enforcement led to 1,809 court filings from the arrests, resulting in 2,311 convictions. On the rehabilitation front, 5,172 Nigerians received counselling services, and 793 individuals were admitted for rehabilitation. NDLEA’s awareness programmes reached over 1,074,217 people through 2,673 sensitisation activities nationwide.
The destruction of cannabis farms was extensive, with major busts including 250,000kg in Esut Odot Forest Reserve, Cross River, in April and thousands of kilograms cleared in Edo, Ondo, and Osun States throughout the seven months.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) had recently urged families, religious institutions, and community leaders to work together to tackle substance abuse, cultism, and banditry among Nigerian youths.
Speaking at a seminar in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, he warned that the issues were interconnected, feeding cycles of criminality, and noted that cultism has spread from tertiary institutions to secondary schools and communities.
The agency’s enforcement led to 1,809 court filings from the arrests, resulting in 2,311 convictions. On the rehabilitation front, 5,172 Nigerians received counselling services, and 793 individuals were admitted for rehabilitation. NDLEA’s awareness programmes reached over 1,074,217 people through 2,673 sensitisation activities nationwide.
The destruction of cannabis farms was extensive, with major busts including 250,000kg in Esut Odot Forest Reserve, Cross River, in April and thousands of kilograms cleared in Edo, Ondo, and Osun States throughout the seven months.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.) had recently urged families, religious institutions, and community leaders to work together to tackle substance abuse, cultism, and banditry among Nigerian youths.
Speaking at a seminar in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, he warned that the issues were interconnected, feeding cycles of criminality, and noted that cultism has spread from tertiary institutions to secondary schools and communities.
Credit: Punch