The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, on Tuesday, destroyed 304,436 kg and 40,042 litres of illicit substances seized from parts of Lagos and Ogun states.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement made available to journalists, said the seized drugs were publicly destroyed in Badagry, Lagos.
Babafemi quoted the agency’s Chairman, Brig.- Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), as saying that the open destruction of the seized illicit drugs followed court orders.
He was also said to have called for more public support for ongoing efforts by the NDLEA and other stakeholders to curb the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.
“Though a routine exercise and an established process of removing dangerous substances from our society, the public destruction of confiscated illicit drugs is usually conducted at the end of their related cases in court”, the NDLEA boss stated, adding that the exhibits being destroyed were of mixed types, “which include illicit drugs in solid and liquid states as well as in various classes such as cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and tramadol, among others.”
He said the drugs were seized by the agency’s operatives across different formations in Lagos and Ogun states from January 2022 till date, especially at the Lagos seaports, airports, and land borders.
“To be destroyed here today on the order of the court are solid drugs, weighing 304,436.055kg and 40, 042. 621 litres of liquid drugs. The sheer volume of the drug haul speaks volumes about the extent of the nefarious activities of the drug underworld,” Marwa said.
He thanked traditional rulers, heads of security agencies, the clergy, members of NGOs and CSOs, as well as other stakeholders who witnessed the ceremony.