The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 1,315 suspected drug peddlers in the past seven months.
The arrests were carried out as part of the agency’s intensified nationwide crackdown on illicit substances.
According to an internal report obtained on Friday, the agency also seized a total of 1,387,254.27kg of drugs and destroyed 43 cannabis farms spanning over 320 hectares across the country.
Advertisement
Cannabis remained the most confiscated substance, with 126,168.73kg recovered during operations, while 801,553.23kg was destroyed directly on farms in Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, and Osun States.
The report further revealed that monthly cannabis seizures peaked in April with 55,305.91kg, compared to just 11,573.11kg in January and 10,237.80kg in July.
Other drugs intercepted by the NDLEA include 362,741.17kg of codeine-based cough syrup, 84,806.62kg of Tramadol, 412.57kg of methamphetamine, 165.51kg of cocaine, and 16.19kg of heroin.
The enforcement drive resulted in 1,809 court filings and 2,311 convictions.
On the rehabilitation front, 5,172 Nigerians received counselling, while 793 individuals were admitted for full rehabilitation. Awareness programmes reached more than one million people nationwide through 2,673 sensitisation activities.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), speaking at a seminar in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on Friday, August 29, 2025, urged Nigerians to collaborate in tackling drug abuse.
“Families, religious institutions, and community leaders must work together to curb substance abuse, cultism, and banditry among our youths,” Marwa said.
He warned that drug abuse fuels wider social vices. “These issues are interconnected, feeding cycles of criminality. Cultism has spread from tertiary institutions to secondary schools and communities,” he added.
