Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has publicly destroyed 329,865.585 Kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs.
The illicit drugs with an estimated street value of N301 billion were destroyed on Monday in Lagos, following a court-ordered exercise.
According to the statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi on Monday in Abuja, the exercise conducted pursuant to orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, disposed of uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures.
Speaking at the event, the NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa described the exercise as a bold demonstration of Nigeria’s resolve to protect her people and deny criminal enterprises the resources they needed to thrive.
Marwa noted that behind every kilogramme of narcotics destroyed laid a story of a young life at risk, a family torn apart by addiction and communities endangered by drug-related crime and impaired driving.
According to him, of the total consignment, 246,864.535 kilogrammes were seized by the Lagos Strategic Command of the Agency between April 2025 and May 2026 and that 83,001.05 kilogrammes came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Tincan and Apapa strategic commands, as well as the Marine command and a Special Operations Unit, all operating within Lagos.
Marwa said that the destroyed illicit drugs comprised mainly cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis of different strains including Canadian Loud and skunk, Ephedrine, Tramadol, Codeine syrup and other opioids, as well as Khat leaf.
The NDLEA boss said that the destroyed consignment represented more than the elimination of contraband.
He stressed that illicit drugs weakened the labour force, raised healthcare costs, discouraged investment and drained public resources that should go into education, healthcare and infrastructure.
He added that every consignment intercepted by the agency saved the country billions of naira in potential losses linked to addiction, crime and social dislocation.
Marwa also linked the trade in illicit drugs to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, noting that drug trafficking helped fund organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism globally.
He said that by seizing and destroying such substances, the agency was strengthening the country’s national security architecture.
GIK/APA