3,359 Drug traffickers arrested, 677 convicted and jailed in Nigeria Q1 2022: NDLEA

*Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says the anti-narcotics agency has also counselled about 2,223 drug users through brief interventions, and rehabilitated in NDLEA facilities across the country from January to March 2022

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

In regard to the anti-narcotics regulator’s offensive against illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse in the country, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that 3, 359 suspects have been arrested, and 677 drug traffickers jailed in the first quarter of 2022.

ConsumerConnect reports Mr. Femi Babafemi, Director of Media, and Advocacy at NDLEA, noted this development in a statement.

Babafemi stated: “No less than six hundred and seventy-seven (677) traffickers have been convicted and sentenced to various jail terms between January and March 2022, with a total of three thousand three hundred and fifty-nine (3,359) arrests and 65,915.891 kilograms of assorted drugs seized within the same period.

“No fewer than two thousand two hundred and twenty-three (2,223) drug users were also counselled through brief interventions and rehabilitated in NDLEA facilities across the country in the first quarter of the year; figures that represent a fair balance between the Agency’s drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.”

The NDLEA also said Lagos has the highest figure for drug seizures with 22,192.62 kilograms of illicit substances recovered from parts of the state, followed by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command, Ikeja, in Lagos, with 8,979.869kg of drugs seized between January and March this year,

Whereas Kano and Kaduna led the pack in the arrests of offenders with 194 arrests each within the same period, said the agency.

The NDLEA further stated that a total of 257 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed in forests across Ondo state, while 14.869 hectares suffered the same fate in Edo and a hectare was destroyed in Bayelsa state within the same period.

A  further breakdown of the drugs seized within the first quarter of the year shows Cannabis leading the table in January with 8,205.75kg; followed by Codeine -414.281kg; Diazepam -192.459kg; Tramadol -135.067kg; Rophynol -43.062kg and Cocaine -24.32kg, Babfemi said.

He also stated that in February, Cannabis also topped the list of seizures with 20,538.79kg; Codeine -1,848.052kg; Tramadol -540.354kg; Diazepam -137.041kg; Rophynol -80.261kg; Cocaine -15.727kg; Methamphetamine – 6.207kg and Heroin – 4.006kg.

Cannabis, the agency said, also topped the list of seizures in March with 21,583.81kg; followed by Tramadol -8,965.319kg; Codeine -417.207kg; Diazepam -57.755kg; Cocaine -45.082kg; Methamphetamine -7.527kg; Rophynol -6.34kg and Heroin -1.497kg.

Babafemi, therefore, commended the officers of the regulatory agency, and urged them to not rest on their oars.

He assured them that every outstanding performance would always attract commensurate commendation and/or reward.