The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has charged operatives across the country to sustain the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse following a series of arrests and seizures of illicit drugs in several states.
In a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Chairman/CEO gave the charge while commending officers of the agency’s commands in Lagos, Kano, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta states for their vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
According to the statement, in Niger State, NDLEA operatives arrested 26-year-old Emmanuel Ekene along the Sabo-Kainji Road in Borgu Local Government Area, recovering 64,000 pills of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In Bauchi State, 45-year-old Jamilu Mustapha, also known as Last Card, was arrested in Nasaru town, Ningi Local Government Area, with 379 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa packed in seven large sacks.
While in Ondo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided a farm at Board-Ala, Akure South Local Government Area, where they recovered 583 kilogrammes of cannabis abandoned in 56 bags.
The agency also intensified its operations against cannabis cultivation in Edo State, where two farms in Ugbada Forest, Owan West Local Government Area, with an estimated yield of 2,023.14 kilogrammes, were destroyed.
The operatives further destroyed 450 kilogrammes of processed cannabis at the site and recovered another 97 kilogrammes as exhibits.
In a related operation at Ewe community in Owan West, a 42-year-old woman, Mary Edokhai, was arrested with 35 kilogrammes of cannabis.
Beyond enforcement, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, taking drug prevention messages to schools and communities across the country.
Beneficiaries of the campaign included students and staff of Oje Grammar School in Oyo State, Government Day Secondary School, Kwamba, in Niger State, Government Secondary School, Yalea, in Kano State, and Community Secondary School, Igogoro, in Enugu State, among others.
Marwa commended the officers for their commitment and urged them to maintain the momentum in tackling drug trafficking and substance abuse.
He also reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to combining enforcement operations with public awareness initiatives to curb the distribution and use of illicit substances across Nigeria.