NDLEA burns N301 billion worth of drugs in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) destroyed about 330 kilogrammes of various illegal drugs in Lagos on Monday.

Buba Marwa, the agency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, oversaw the public destruction of these drugs. He said the drugs were worth N301 billion.

Marwa, a retired brigadier general, explained that the drugs included those from closed cases and abandoned shipments that had been removed from circulation.

"We are today publicly destroying a total of 329,865.585 kilogrammes of assorted narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, representing uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures of illicit drugs permanently removed from circulation," he stated.

He added that 246,864.535 kilogrammes of the drugs were seized by the NDLEA Lagos Strategic Command between April 2025 and May 2026.

The remaining 83,001.05 kilogrammes were seized by the agency's commands at Moritola-Mamme International Airport, Tincan, Apapa, Marine, and Central Intelligence and Investigation Team (CITF), all located in Lagos.

The destroyed drugs included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, various types of cannabis like Canadian Loud and skunk, ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup, other opioids, and khat leaves.

According to Marwa, the total street value of the drugs was about N301.058 billion.

"That is over N301 billion that will never find its way into the pockets of drug barons or into the ruining of a single Nigerian home," he said.

Marwa noted that destroying these drugs was not just about the money. He emphasized that each kilogramme of narcotics posed a threat to people, families, and communities.

"For us at the NDLEA, behind every kilogramme of these drugs lies a tragic story: a young person whose future may have been destroyed, a family torn apart by addiction, communities terrorised by drug-induced crimes, and road crashes caused by impaired drivers," he explained.