Kwara’s Drug Trade Hit Hard: NDLEA Seizes 2.6 Tons and Arrests 929 Suspects
Between January and December 2024, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kwara State arrested 929 individuals—comprising 839 males and 90 females—in connection with drug-related offenses.
During this period, the agency seized a total of 2,642.103 kilograms (approximately 2.6 tons) of various hard drugs, including cannabis, tramadol, diazepam, methamphetamine, codeine-laced cough syrup, and cocaine/crack.
Cannabis was the most seized substance, accounting for 1,455.529 kilograms of the total. The NDLEA emphasized that removing 1.5 tons of cannabis from circulation significantly benefited the community by mitigating potential harm.
In addition to enforcement actions, the NDLEA’s Drug Demand Reduction Unit provided brief interventions for 185 drug users, who were subsequently reintegrated with their families.
The agency also admitted 22 clients into its rehabilitation facility and offered non-residential counseling to 17 others.
The agency secured 133 convictions in the Federal High Court in Ilorin, involving 123 males and 10 females. Assets forfeited to the federal government included 14 motor vehicles, 12 motorcycles, and monetary proceeds from drug-related crimes.
Collaborating with the Kwara State Government, the NDLEA initiated a “Drug Testing Policy,” conducting tests on 261 new students at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, including the Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Affairs; all tested negative for hard drugs.
The agency encourages other higher education institutions to adopt similar policies to promote health and well-being.
The NDLEA has called on the state government to provide additional operational vehicles and complete the construction of a 200-bed rehabilitation center to enhance its capacity to combat drug abuse and trafficking effectively.