The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, said it seized narcotics and destroyed cannabis farms worth N542bn in 2014.
Chairman and Chief Executive of the agency, Ahmadu Giade who gave the figure on Friday in Abuja at the celebration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, added that 12,304 persons were arrested and questioned in connection to hard drugs in the past 17 months.
Within the same period, 2,800 persons have been convicted in court for drug offences,he explained, noting that 2,054 were convicted in 2014 while 783 persons have been convicted between January and May, 2015.
The NDLEA boss noted that the country was able to have a peaceful general election earlier this year because his agency stopped enormous quantity of hard drugs from entering into the system.
He explained that if that amount of drugs had got into the system, the elections would have been violent.
Giade said, “This huge amount is mind blowing and has the capacity to derail the most credible election. Such proceeds could be used to either subvert the wishes of the electorate or instigate upheavals. We shall continue to incapacitate and dislodge drug cartels.”
According to him, the NDLEA had fought very hard to eradicate illicit drugs in Nigeria but had recorded tremendous success with its activities, stressing that a total of 4,529.15 hectares of cannabis farmland, constituting 53.7 million kilogrammes of cannabis were destroyed in 2014.
Also, 8,826 persons, male and female were either arrested or questioned during investigations in the same year while illicit drugs seized weighed 166,697.18 kilogramme.
He revealed that the drugs seized include cannabis sativa, cocaine, heroine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, ephedrine and psychotropic substances.
Giade said, “Besides arrests and drug seizure, 3,403 drug dependent persons received drug counseling services in NDLEA centres nationwide. 2,070 cases were charged to court and 2,054 were convicted in 2014. However, between January and May 2015, the agency arrested 3,478 drug suspects and seized 170,341 kilogrammes of narcotic drugs. The agency also discovered cannabis farms measuring 126,721 hectares. A total of 783 cases have so far been won in court.”
Giade also revealed the discovery of more clandestine laboratories for the production of methamphetamine, and the arrest of a suspected drug kingpin, Chukwunwendu Ikejiaku (a.k.a Blessed) who is alleged to be the brain behind three clandestine laboratories, and leader of an international drug trafficking organization that recruits and sponsors drug couriers to China, Malaysia, Turkey and Italy.
(Punch)
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