Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has floated a bold idea: convicted drug offenders should be sentenced to perform community service — including washing toilets — in their hometowns.
Speaking on Wednesday at the commissioning of 46 operational vehicles for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Fagbemi argued that public, localised hard labour could prove a powerful deterrent to illicit drug activity.
“Those who are convicted of a criminal offence involving an illicit drug usage and sentenced to hard labour should be taken to their local government or village to do this hard work,” he said. “When you see somebody who has been dealing in illegal drugs and you ask him to pick papers or wash toilets, that may also be a deterrent.”
The NDLEA event, described by its chairman, Buba Marwa, as “symbolic and historic,” marked the first time in the agency’s 35-year history that official vehicles have been allocated to commanders nationwide.
The new fleet includes 36 Mecanno SUVs and 10 Mecanno executive sedans for directors, zonal commanders, and state commanders.
Marwa linked drug abuse to Nigeria’s worsening security crises, citing kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, and cult violence as crimes “fuelled by illicit substances.” He revealed that between January 2024 and June 2025, the NDLEA seized over 1 billion Tramadol pills, 14.4 million bottles of codeine, 5.5 million kilogrammes of assorted drugs, destroyed 700 hectares of cannabis farms, and arrested 40,887 offenders.
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“Every ground seized, every suspect arrested, every drug user rehabilitated contributes to building a safer and healthier Nigeria,” he said.
The agency’s renewed momentum drew praise from top officials, including Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa, who credited NDLEA operations with aiding the military’s fight against armed groups.
“All these bandits, terrorists, insurgents cannot operate without taking illegal drugs, and your ability to curtail and reduce this has assisted us in improving security,” Musa said.
Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, commended the NDLEA for transparency in its vehicle acquisition process, calling it “an example for other agencies of government.”