NDLEA Tin-can Command Seizes 18,000 Tonnes Of Drugs In Six Months

... Warns Nigeria Now a Producer, Transit, and User Nation

Harboursandport.com: Lagos, Nigeria - July 3, 2026: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Tin-can Island Strategic Command has said it seized over 18,000 tonnes of illicit drugs in the last six months.

Commander of Narcotics and Strategic Commander of the Tin-can Island Command, Omotosho Solomon Gbadebo, disclosed this in an interview with Harboursandport.com, said the achievement was as a result of efforts of the Maritime Intelligence Unit, MIU of the agency, collaboration with other sister agencies and international partners.

The spoke with Harboursandport.com at NDLEA's commemoration of the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, 2026, with a strong message against the scourge of drug abuse and trafficking.

Omotosho, said the day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the devastating effects of drug abuse. “Drug abuse is like a whirlwind that blows no one any good,” he said, stressing that the event was observed nationwide across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He highlighted the agency’s proactive approach under the leadership of Buba Marwa (rtd), noting that NDLEA now operates with intelligence-led policies and advanced technology. 

According to him, “We are always ahead of the traffickers. As they devise new means, we counter them,” he said.

The Commander acknowledged the growing concern that Nigeria has become a producer, transit hub, and user nation. He cited cannabis cultivation in the Southwest and South-South, as well as the discovery of 26 methamphetamine laboratories, including a recent mega-lab in Ogun State operated by both Mexicans and Nigerians.

While traffickers are treated as “merchants of death,” Omotosho noted that drug users are seen as patients in need of help. “We rehabilitate drug users. We do not see them as criminals,” he explained, underscoring NDLEA’s dual focus on drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.

The NDLEA Commander urged Nigerians to support NDLEA’s mission, stressing that combating drug abuse requires synergy among government, law enforcement, NGOs, religious bodies, and communities. He commended the federal government’s 2026 budget provision for rehabilitation centers in all states, alongside initiatives by NGOs and faith-based organizations.

“The fight against drugs is not NDLEA’s job alone. All hands must be on deck to salvage this country from the drug scourge,” he said, adding that preventive education in schools, worship centers, and marketplaces is already yielding results.