134 drug suspects nabbed, N80 million worth of illicit substances seized by NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the seizure of 3,988.74 kilogrammes of various illicit drugs and the arrest of 134 suspects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the third quarter of 2023.

The FCT Narcotics Commander, Mr. Kabir Tsakuwa, told NAN in an interview on Monday in Abuja that 3,988.74 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and 134 suspects were seized by his operatives in the third quarter of 2023.

He said that the drugs, valued at about N80 million in the street market, included cannabis sativa, cocaine, methamphetamine, tramadol, rohypnol, and diazepam. He noted that cannabis sativa was the dominant drug, with a weight of 3,861.789 kilograms. He also mentioned that 104 suspects were tried in court, and 27 of them were convicted. He said that the NDLEA followed a balanced approach to drug control, which involved reducing both the demand and supply of drugs.

He explained that the demand reduction aimed at prevention, while the supply reduction dealt with enforcement. He said that the agency organised various sensitization and enlightenment programmes through the “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) campaign, a social movement to enlist every Nigerian to participate in the battle against illicit substances. He said that the agency collaborated with several NGOs and other stakeholders to execute the programmes in schools, organisations, religious places, and communities.

Tsakuwa also said that the agency provided support systems for drug addicts through counselling at its rehabilitation centre, which was run by trained counselling experts. He appealed to the public to support the agency in its efforts to curb drug abuse and trafficking in the FCT and the country in general.