NDLEA Arrests 14,480 Suspected Drug Traffickers, Seizes 2.4 Million kg of Illicit Drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that it arrested 14,480 suspected drug traffickers, including 15 drug barons, between January and October 2024. During the same period, the agency seized 2.4 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs.

NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa, revealed this on Wednesday while briefing the House of Representatives Committee on Narcotic Drugs during an oversight visit to the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.

Marwa highlighted that the arrests and drug seizures were carried out at seaports, airports, land borders, and various communities across Nigeria.

He expressed confidence that the agency was on track to surpass the performance of the previous three years.

“Between January 1 and October 30, we recorded 14,480 arrests of drug offenders, including 15 drug barons.

Within the same period, we secured 2,867 convictions in court, exceeding our achievements in each of the past three years,” Marwa stated.

He further noted that the agency successfully located and destroyed 547,378 kilograms of cannabis plantations and conducted 3,064 awareness campaigns, sensitizing over 1.3 million people in schools, motor parks, worship centers, workplaces, and communities.

Marwa also cited the agency’s largest single heroin seizure of 51.90 kilograms at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in February as a milestone in the NDLEA’s efforts to combat drug trafficking.

In addition to enforcement efforts, the NDLEA counseled and rehabilitated 6,655 drug users within the 10-month period as part of its drug demand reduction initiative.

The NDLEA chairman commended the lawmakers for their support in 2024 and urged them to remain steadfast in aiding the agency to achieve greater success.

“In the past three years, we have harnessed and maximized the limited resources at our disposal to achieve these impressive results,” Marwa added.