The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa on Monday said that 50,901 drug offenders, including 46 barons, have been arrested in the last 38 months.
Within the period, Brig.-Gen. Marwa said that 9,034 were prosecuted and convicted, while over 7,561 tonnes of illicit substances were seized.
The feat, according to him, sent signals to drug cartels and their kingpins that Nigeria would not tolerate their criminal activities.
The chairman gave the report yesterday at the opening and handing over of an operational facility built and donated to NDLEA by the British Government, according to a statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi.
Gen. Marwa lauded the support, saying it will further boost the agency’s capability to tackle substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.
The NDLEA boss said that from the outset of the collaboration, the ‘UK has been a steadfast ally in the relentless pursuit to neutralise transnational organised criminal activities, particularly in the realm of illicit drug production and trafficking’.
He said: “This building complex stands not only as a physical structure but as a symbol of the enduring partnership between our two nations in the global fight against drug trafficking. It represents the culmination of years of cooperation, mutual trust, and shared determination to combat one of the most pressing threats to our societies.
