NDLEA Announces N280m Asset Recovery From Drug Syndicates In August

NDLEA Announces N280m Asset Recovery From Drug Syndicates In August....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recovered assets worth N280,389,068.08 in August 2024, according to a report by *The PUNCH*. This report, titled ‘War on Narcotics,’ highlights the agency’s major accomplishments in its anti-drug operations during the month…….CONTINUE READING 

The report reveals that NDLEA made 1,821 arrests, comprising 1,640 males and 181 females, and confiscated 142,291.3kg of various drugs. Additionally, the agency prosecuted 415 suspects, securing 414 convictions, and seized assets linked to drug trafficking. Furthermore, 49.63 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed during operations.

On the rehabilitation front, 949 individuals underwent treatment, and the agency carried out 338 public awareness campaigns on drug-related issues.

The NDLEA, founded through Decree No. 48 on December 29, 1989, was created to combat the increasing demand and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances that tarnished Nigeria’s international reputation in the 1980s.

The report also noted the arrest of two prominent drug barons: Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh, alias “Olowoidiogede,” in Mushin, Lagos, and Alhaji Suleman Ganiu Aremu for cocaine trafficking in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to the asset recovery, the NDLEA held a workshop to strengthen its Alternative Development Programme, which the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes as an initiative aimed at eliminating illicit crop production by focusing on rural development, education, health, and infrastructure to improve the lives of affected populations.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, recently emphasized that the agency’s new focus on marine training, including advanced diving techniques, is intended to counter large-scale cocaine shipments. He affirmed the agency’s commitment to staying ahead of drug cartels to prevent the smuggling of illicit drugs into Nigeria.