NDLEA destroys N301bn worth of cocaine, heroin, opioids, others in Lagos
. ‘We’ll continue to dismantle drug cartels and their financial spine,’ Marwa vows
. Gov. Sanwo-Olu, CG Customs Adeniyi, Naval Chief commend partnership with NDLEA on drug war
By Primetime Reports
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has publicly destroyed 329,865.585 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs with an estimated street value of Three Hundred and One Billion, Fifty-Eight Million and Seventy-Six Thousand Naira (N301,058,076,000) only in a court-ordered exercise carried out in Lagos.
The exercise, conducted pursuant to orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, disposed of uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures. Of the total consignment, 246,864.535 kilograms were seized by the Lagos Strategic Command of the Agency between April 2025 and May 2026, while 83,001.05 kilograms came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, as well as the Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit, all operating within Lagos.
The destroyed illicit drugs comprised mainly cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis of different strains including Canadian Loud and skunk, ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup and other opioids, as well as khat leaf.
Speaking at the event held at Navy Town in Ojo area of Lagos on Monday 17th August 2026, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) described the exercise as a bold demonstration of Nigeria’s resolve to protect its people and deny criminal enterprises the resources they need to thrive. He noted that behind every kilogram of narcotics destroyed lies a story of a young life at risk, a family torn apart by addiction, and communities endangered by drug-related crime and impaired driving.
Marwa said the destroyed consignment represented more than the elimination of contraband, stressing that illicit drugs weaken the labour force, raise healthcare costs, discourage investment and drain public resources that should go into education, healthcare and infrastructure. He added that every consignment intercepted by the Agency saves the country billions of naira in potential losses linked to addiction, crime and social dislocation.
The NDLEA boss also linked the trade in illicit drugs to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, noting that drug trafficking helps fund organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism globally, and that by seizing and destroying such substances, the Agency is strengthening the country’s national security architecture.
He commended the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his administration’s strategic backing for the Agency’s mandate, as well as the partnership of the Judiciary, the Lagos State Government, the military, sister security agencies, international partners, civil society, traditional institutions, the media and members of the public.
Marwa paid tribute to NDLEA personnel across the country, particularly those serving in Lagos while acknowledging the risks and sacrifices they make in the course of their duty.
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Issuing a stern warning to drug barons, traffickers, financiers, distributors and dealers, the NDLEA Chairman declared that their days of operating with impunity are over. “Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” he said, vowing that the Agency remains resolute, relentless and uncompromising in pursuing and dismantling every criminal network and its financial spine.
He called on all Nigerians, parents, schools, religious and traditional leaders, and the media to become active stakeholders in the war against illicit drugs, stressing that the battle cannot be won by the NDLEA alone.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said “the scale of what has been destroyed today, about 300 tons of narcotics and psychotropic substances, is a huge and sobering reminder of the enormity of the threat that illicit drugs pose to our communities, our young people, and our collective future. It is also, in equal measure, a powerful testament to what becomes possible when law enforcement, the judiciary, and the government work hand in hand, not merely to enforce the law, but to uphold justice, protect society, and secure a better future for our people. It reminds us that when institutions unite around a shared purpose, the law becomes more than an instrument of enforcement.”
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, the governor assured that “Lagos State is unwavering in its resolve to confront drug abuse and trafficking, and we will not relent in our efforts to do this.”
In his goodwill message, the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi noted that the “NDLEA deserves all the accolades they have received from local and international partners”, adding that “It is not just about the size of what we are seeing but about the scope of what has been taken from operations conducted in our seaports, at our airports, at our land borders. This therefore represents a very strong message to drug dealers that they are no longer welcome in Nigeria.”
He noted that there’s a nexus between drug dealers and violent non-state actors because drug continues to provide the oxygen for their crime. “Bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents, terrorists, this is their oxygen and so the destruction that we are going to witness today is symbolic of two things: drug dealers are going to be losing investments worth billions of naira and we are going to be denying non-state violent actors the necessary oxygen that they need for their heinous crime and as we hope that we suffocate them, deny them access to this kind of thing, we believe that this will continue to be their lot.
They will continue to invest and they will continue to lose their investments. I want to commend the chairman of NDLEA and in fact all our officers and men operatives throughout our commands who are responsible for this”, he added.
Speaking in the same light, the Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas represented by the FOC Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha assured of continued support for Nigeria’s drug control efforts being coordinated by NDLEA.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja related this report to the press on Monday 17th August 2026.
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