The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) incinerated 1.8 tons of cocaine that its agents had taken from a warehouse in Lagos’ Ikorodu neighbourhood last week Thursday.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, recalled that the NDLEA had last week stormed a covert warehouse at 6 Olukunola Street, Solebo estate Ikorodu, Lagos State, where 1.8 tons of cocaine were recovered and five suspects, including a Jamaican, were arrested. The operation was well-coordinated and intelligence-led.
“After the historic seizure, which was the largest in the history of the Agency, a Federal High Court order in Lagos was secured for the consignment’s public destruction.
Speaking at the site of the cocaine haul’s public destruction, Marwa, represented by the agency’s Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Deputy Commander General of Narcotics (DCGN) Sunday Joseph, claimed that the sheer amount of the drug haul—whose street value was estimated to be $278, 250,000, or N194, 775,000,000—speaks volumes about the scope of the criminal activities of the drug underworld.
He claimed that as a result, Nigerians must support NDLEA in the organization’s ongoing fight against illicit substances.
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He stated that 1,828 blocks of the 1.8 tons of cocaine would be crushed and burned, and the remaining would be stored for the purpose of prosecuting the suspects who had been present to see the process through and sign the certificate of destruction.
The prosecution of those detained in connection with this consignment is continuing, according to the agency. On this, the public can have confidence that NDLEA would see the case through to a fair verdict.
“The agency has secured record convictions since January 25, 2021, when we began our offensive action against drug dealers. 2, 904 drug offenders are currently serving a variety of prison sentences, and other cases are still pending in court; we are certain that these cases will also have successful outcomes.
The bust of the organization in charge of the cocaine warehoused in Ikorodu, he continued, “is a message to drug cartels that their investments in the illicit drug trade will go up in flames, and they also risk losing their freedom because the current NDLEA is committed to arresting, prosecuting, and ensuring the conviction of those involved in illicit drugs. Not only that, but we are now pursuing their assets that were bought with money obtained through illicit activity.
Marwa claimed that the fact that the Ikorodu operation was carried out expertly without any fighting or bloodshed is another evidence of the NDLEA’s development and its new skills as well as a sign that the rules of engagement in the fight against illicit narcotics have changed.
The Nigerian military provided additional firepower during the operation, and he commended the agency’s international partners, particularly the US Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA), which supported the cocaine syndicate bust, as well as other law enforcement agencies that have been supporting efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs.
“The safety of our society is the responsibility of each and every one of us. Every citizen shall be fulfilling his or her civic duty by helping the Agency to clean up our communities and cities by joining our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), together, we can make this country secure,” Marwa said in an attempt to garner more support for the agency’s efforts.
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