77,792 Suspects Arrested; 14, 225 Convicted; 14.8m kg of Illicit Drugs Seized in NDLEA's 5-Year Scorecard

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested seventy-seventy thousand, seven hundred and ninety-two suspects for drug-related offences and secured the conviction of fourteen thousand, two hundred and twenty-five of them in the last five years. So says the NDLEA’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brigadier-General MOHAMED BUBA MARWA, while giving an overview of the performance of the agency under his leaders over the past five years. Brigadier-General MARWA presented the scorecard at the Awards and Commendation ceremony held at the NDLEA’s National Headquarters in Abuja, further disclosing that the agency recovered fourteen-point-eight million kilograms illicit drugs during the period under the review. “When I first resumed in 2021, I promised to take the fight to the doorsteps of the merchants of death. Today, the numbers speak for themselves. Through our collective resilience, we have sent a clear message that Nigeria is no longer a safe haven for illicit drug enterprise. “It’s therefore heartwarming to note that in the last five years, we recorded significant operational successes including the arrest of 77,792 drug offenders, including 128 identified drug barons who were central to major trafficking networks. We seized a total of 14,847,486.34 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs, thereby significantly disrupting both local and transnational supply chains. “In further strengthening the criminal justice response to drug offences, the Agency successfully prosecuted and secured convictions against 14,225 offenders, reinforcing deterrence and affirming that drug crime attracts consequences. The NDLEA Chairman thanked President BOLA TINUBU for finding him worthy for the extension of his tenure for another five years, and charged officers of the agency to brace up for more operations against drug cartels, barons and their mules in the next five years of his second tenure. “These achievements are not accidental. They are the result of discipline, leadership, intelligence-led operations, and clear performance expectations. This journey would not have been possible without the unflinching support of the President. I therefore wish to express my profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the absolute trust he has reposed in my leadership and in the entire workforce of this Agency. NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, FEMI BABAFEMI, who shared detailed of the 11th CCEO Awards in a statement, said one hundred and sixty-six NDLEA officials and seventeen Commands of the agency received various awards for their outstanding performance. He said the Chairman/CEO charged the awardees to see their plaques and certificates as reminders that their hard work is valued, while urging the rest of the force to find inspiration in their achievements. “As we are all aware, the Commands Awards and Commendations is an internal reward mechanism that comes after our bi-annual appraisal. It is enshrined in our corporate culture and acts as a booster to individual and collective commitment to the attainment of organisational goals. I believe that everyone in this organisation is in accord that we now have a sense of urgency towards our assignment. “There is no gainsaying that our dedication to duty has been the driving force behind our good performance; at the same time, it is also not an exaggeration to say that our good performance is catalysed by motivation. As proven right by events in the past five years, management’s decision to deploy multipronged motivational mechanism to improve the organisation’s work ethic is part of the recipe for the resurgence of the Agency and the resultant spectacular performance. On that score, management is committed to doing everything possible to improve productivity on the job. Part of that effort is why we are here today.” The NDLEA Boss equally acknowledged the critical role of international partners, sister agencies, civil society, and the media in the successes recorded so far, calling for even deeper strategic partnerships in the years ahead to protect the future of Nigerian children.