Last Thursday, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) incinerated 1.8 tons of cocaine that its agents had taken from a warehouse in Lagos’ Ikorodu neighborhood.
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.
The Federal High Court in Lagos issued an order for the consignment’s public destruction following the historic seizure, which was the largest in the history of the Agency.
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 said that as a result, Nigerians must support NDLEA in the organisation’s ongoing fight against illicit substances.
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.
He said, “The Agency is proceeding with the prosecution of those arrested in connection with this consignment. On this, the public can rest assured that NDLEA shall pursue the trial to a logical conclusion.
“Since January 25, 2021, when we commenced our offensive action against drug traffickers, the agency has secured record convictions. Presently, 2, 904 drug offenders are serving various jail terms, while other cases are ongoing in court, which we are confident will end in positive results too.
“The bust of the syndicate responsible for the cocaine warehoused in Ikorodu is a message to drug cartels that their investments in the illicit drug trade will go up in flames, while they also risk losing their freedom because the present NDLEA is committed to arresting, prosecuting and ensuring the conviction of those involved in illicit drugs. That is not all, we now also go after their assets acquired with the proceeds of the criminal trade.”
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 every one of us and every citizen shall be fulfilling his or her civic duty by assisting 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 added.