The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos Command, yesterday, said its operatives arrested 919 drug suspects and seized 95,083.114kgs (over 95 tons) of different types of illicit drugs in Lagos in 2023.
Assistant State Commander (Media and Advocacy), Mallam Musa, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday. He said: “During the year under review, the command arrested 919 suspects comprising 793 males and 126 females.
“The successes recorded during the year did not end with arrests and seizures alone, but also prosecution of the offenders. “The command successfully prosecuted and convicted 237 defendants who received various jail terms. Their assets were also forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Also, during the year 2023, the command did not only concentrate on arrests, seizures, and prosecution; it also embarked rigorously on sensitisations, awareness campaigns, and seminars through the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd).
“In this aspect, communities, schools, religious bodies, civil societies and organisations were targeted and sensitised on the danger and consequences of illicit drug trafficking and abuse.
“The successes that were recorded in 2023 did not just occur on a silver platter. Rather, they were achieved through the cooperation of well-meaning Lagosians, sister security agencies, and corporate bodies that are passionate about WADA.”
SIMILARLY, Oyo State Command, led by Olayinka Joe-Fadile, arrested 417 suspects for various drug offences. The command made a total seizure of about eight tonnes of various narcotics and psychotropic substances with a market value of N135,602,114.400, and secured the conviction of 54 persons.
Spokesperson for the command, Mutiat Okuwobi, said offences committed by the convicts and suspects included dealing in Cannabis sativa, Tramadol, Diazepam, Rohypnol, Colorado, Ice, Arizona, Codeine etc.
The command called on government at state and local council levels and well-meaning Oyo State indigenes to join the task of ridding the state of drug abuse and trafficking.
