By OKOSUN OKHUELEIGBE
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has said that it has seized drugs weighing 55, 830, 837kg valued over a trillion naira and arrested 72, 253 suspected drug traffickers between 2006 and 2014.
A breakdown further indicated that the suspected traffickers consist of 67,773 males and 4,480 females. The seized drugs include: 55, 657, 727.32kg of cannabis, 17, 748.382kg of cocaine, 874.304kg of heroin and 153, 831.6kg of psychotropic substances. The NDLEA also prosecuted 14,801 drug traffickers within the period and won 14,668 cases.
According to the Head, Public Affairs of the agency, Ofoyeju Mitchell said in Lagos that the planned probe of NDLEA of N35 billion seized drugs by the House of Representatives was a blessing to the Agency.
He said, “This is because the said amount represents the estimated value of seized drugs by the Agency and not physical cash. Such seized drugs are regularly destroyed publicly in line with the NDLEA Act. The Agency stated that the probe will not only give it a clean bill of health but will ultimately enable the House to appreciate its impressive scorecard in the past ten years and increase its budgetary appropriation for optimal performance in the country’s war against narcotics.
“NDLEA deserves commendation as one of the agencies of government that has judiciously managed its annual budgetary allocations with zero tolerance for corruption. The remarkable result recorded is a product of pragmatic leadership, selfless-sacrifices made by dedicated officers as well as the goodwill of stakeholders. The past ten years of the NDLEA under the immediate past Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade can best be described as the golden era of drug control in Nigeria.”
He added that the agency’s success story led to the rising international profile of Nigeria through dislodgement of drug trafficking cartels, removal of Nigeria from the Drug Majors List by the United States, unprecedented seizures of drugs as well as arrests and convictions of drug traffickers.
In commending the agency for its enormous fight against drug traffickers, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) said the “NDLEA is adopting modern law enforcement investigative techniques and transiting to an intelligence-led agency. The Agency has raised its international profile and fostered international cooperation with major stakeholders. These accomplishment have created a foundation upon which the NDLEA can combat drug trafficking and strengthen the security of the Nigerian people”.