Nigeria arrested no fewer than 8,634 suspected drug traffickers from January to August 2021, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has disclosed.

Marwa told the Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday that NDLEA also made seizures of more than N100 billion in drugs and cash over the period.

“Our consistent targeting of drug trafficking organisations has resulted in the arrest of 8,634 suspected drug traffickers and the seizure of over N100 billion in cash and drugs. Perpetrators will go through the criminal justice system, with their fundamental human rights being strictly upheld.

“Against the backdrop of the strong linkage between illicit drug consumption and insecurity, it is worthy of note that Nigeria made its first seizure of 74.119 kg of Captagon brand of amphetamine, presumably destined for use, to fuel insurgency and other violent crimes and criminalities, which Nigeria is currently grappling with.

“Nigeria is happy to report that the EU funded, UNODC sponsored Cannabis Cultivation Survey is expected to bring to the fore the full extent of cannabis cultivation in Nigeria and make it easier to target measures to contain this perennial menace,” Marwa said.

The UN Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NDLEA boss thanked the international partners for supporting Nigeria’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

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Marwa said the unexpected emergence of COVID -19 pandemic, no doubt, had further accentuated the scourge of drug trafficking and related crimes globally.

“It is worthy of mention here that one of the challenges of the pandemic is the proliferation of online sale of drug cookies and use of courier services to move illicit drugs. However, we were able to intercept, trace and dismantle most of the drug cells involved.

“This constitutes a clarion call for all nations of the world to unite in adversity by taking concerted and well-coordinated actions at national, regional and international levels to address and counter the world drug problems, through evolving drug control policies, effective crime prevention mechanisms and a complete overhaul of the criminal justice system.

He continued, “Nigeria will remain undaunted in adopting dynamic strategies to counter new approaches adopted by organised criminals, in order to make drug trafficking unattractive.

“It will ensure forfeiture of the criminally derived assets, a tested and powerful deterrent to the proliferation of drug crimes and criminalities.’’