How NDLEA Denied Traffickers N301Bln in Illicit Drug Investments

Speaking at the exercise held at Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, on Monday, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the destruction as a bold demonstration of Nigeria’s resolve to protect its people.

Marwa said the exercise would deny criminal enterprises the resources they need to thrive, noting that behind every kilogramme of narcotics destroyed lies a human story.

“Behind every kilogram of narcotics destroyed lies a story of a young life at risk, a family torn apart by addiction, and communities endangered by drug-related crime and impaired driving,” he said in a statement emailed to Persecondnews by NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Monday.

Marwa stressed that the destroyed consignment represented more than the elimination of contraband, stressing that illicit drugs weaken the labour force, raise healthcare costs, discourage investment and drain public resources.

The NDLEA boss also linked illicit drug trafficking to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, noting that the trade helps fund organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism globally.

“By seizing and destroying such substances, we are strengthening the country’s national security architecture while denying criminal networks resources to sustain their activities.”

Marwa commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration for their strategic backing for the agency’s mandate.

He also appreciated the Judiciary, Lagos State Government, military, sister security agencies, international partners, civil society, traditional institutions, media and members of the public.

The NDLEA chairman paid tribute to personnel across the country, particularly those serving in Lagos, acknowledging the risks and sacrifices they make in the course of their duty.

He further issued a stern warning to drug barons, traffickers, financiers, distributors and dealers, and declared that their days of operating with impunity over.

“Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” he said.

“The agency remains resolute, relentless and uncompromising in pursuing and dismantling every criminal network and its financial spine.”

Marwa called on all Nigerians, parents, schools, religious and traditional leaders and the media to become active stakeholders in the war against illicit drugs, adding that the battle against illicit drugs could not be won by the NDLEA alone.

According to the agency, of the total consignment, 246,864.535kg was seized by the Lagos Strategic Command between April 2025 and May 2026.

Another 83,001.05kg came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit operating within Lagos.

The exercise, conducted pursuant to orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, disposed of uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures.

On his part, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, described the scale of the destruction of as a huge and sobering reminder of the threat illicit drugs pose to Nigerians.

“It is also, in equal measure, a powerful testament to what becomes possible when law enforcement, the judiciary, and the government work hand in hand, not merely to enforce the law, but to uphold justice, protect society, and secure a better future for our people.

“It reminds us that when institutions unite around a shared purpose, the law becomes more than an instrument of enforcement,” he said.

The governor assured that Lagos State would continue to confront drug abuse and trafficking, stressing that the state would not relent in its efforts.

“Lagos State is unwavering in its resolve to confront drug abuse and trafficking, and we will not relent in our efforts to do this,” he said.

In his goodwill message, the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi said the NDLEA deserved all the accolades it had received from local and international partners.

“It is not just about the size of what we are seeing but about the scope of what has been taken from operations conducted in our seaports, at our airports, at our land borders.”

“This therefore represents a very strong message to drug dealers that they are no longer welcome in Nigeria.”

Adeniyi noted that there was a synergy between drug dealers and violent non-state actors because drugs continue to provide the oxygen for their crimes.

“Bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents, terrorists, this is their oxygen and so the destruction that we are going to witness today is symbolic of two things: drug dealers are going to be losing investments worth billions of naira and we are going to be denying non-state violent actors the necessary oxygen that they need for their heinous crime.”

“And as we hope that we suffocate them, deny them access to this kind of thing, we believe that this will continue to be their lot. They will continue to invest and they will continue to lose their investments.”

In the same vein, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the FOC Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha, assured of continued support for Nigeria’s drug control efforts.

The Navy pledged continued support for the drug control efforts being coordinated by the NDLEA as the agency intensifies its campaign against illicit drugs and the criminal networks behind their trafficking.

The destruction marked another major intervention against Nigeria’s illicit drug trade, removing substances worth N301.058 billion from circulation and dealing a financial blow to criminal enterprise.