The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, on Thursday said his agency seized over N420 billion worth of illicit drugs since 2021.
Marwa, who disclosed this during a budget defence session today, said the agency arrested over 19,000 persons and has secured the conviction of 3,111 persons for different drug-related charges.
The chairman also informed the members of the House of Representatives Committee on Narcotics that the total drug seized is over five million kilograms.
He said; “14.3 million Nigerians are abusing drugs. This is equal to the population of Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Gambia and Liberia combined.”
The House Committee accepted the plan by NDLEA to splash N13 billion on the construction of barracks to accommodate its officers.
The Chairman of the Committee, Dr Francis Otta-Agbo, said the dangers of their work require that narcotic officers live in barracks to ensure their safety.