NDLEA seized over 30 tonnes of illicit drugs in Edo in 2025 - Marwa

In 2025, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seized over 30 tonnes of illicit substances in Edo State, according to Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, the agency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. During a visit to the Oba of Benin in Benin City, Marwa stated that the agency arrested more than 1,200 suspected drug traffickers during this period.

He emphasized that drug abuse is a significant social problem in Nigeria, affecting more than 15 million Nigerians, which is three times the global average. Marwa described drug abuse as a scourge that devastates youths, families, and communities, noting that it does not discriminate and is present everywhere. He appealed for the support of traditional rulers, the church, civil society organizations, government, and the media to combat drug abuse and cultivation, emphasizing that the battle against drug abuse requires a whole-of-society approach.

Marwa also introduced a new initiative called alternative development, which aims to persuade cannabis growers to switch to licit crops like cassava, yam, and corn. The initiative, which is the first of its kind in Africa, has received support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The Oba of Benin expressed gratitude to the NDLEA for its efforts in fighting illicit drugs and pledged to forward a proposal to the agency on ways to address the drug abuse scourge in the country.