Jun 12, 2026

NDLEA Wipes Out 73 Tonnes of Drugs Worth N2.8bn in Edo

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in news

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In Benin City on Thursday, thick smoke rose from a carefully managed inferno as officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) set ablaze more than 73 tonnes of seized illicit drugs and psychotropic substances worth an estimated N2.8 billion.

The operation marked one of the largest single-day destructions carried out by the agency in recent times and sent a clear signal to trafficking networks operating in Edo State and beyond.

The bulk of the haul — 73,210.23 kilograms — was cannabis sativa, the plant that continues to dominate Nigeria’s domestic drug market.

Alongside it, operatives destroyed smaller but still significant quantities of harder substances: 141.81 kg of tramadol, various amounts of diazepam and codeine cough syrup, plus trace seizures of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

Together they represented a street value that could have funded further criminal enterprises or destroyed countless young lives.

The destruction was no quiet administrative exercise. Senior officials gathered at the site in Benin City to witness the burning and reaffirm a shared commitment.

Representing NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Director of Operations Suleiman Ahmed Ningi described the act as more than symbolic.

“We are, in the most powerful terms, reaffirming our collective and unshakeable resolve to confront, dismantle, and ultimately defeat the menace of drug abuse,” he said.

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, represented by Mrs Edesili Anani, framed the fight in stark terms: it is “a war against criminality, kidnapping and banditry as well as the health hazards that drug abuse brings.”

The state government has already allocated land for a new NDLEA command headquarters and is planning a modern rehabilitation centre — practical steps that acknowledge enforcement alone cannot win the battle.

Senator Joseph Ikpea, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, put the human cost in simple language.

Every kilogramme destroyed, he noted, “represents lives saved from the catastrophic effects of drugs.” He also highlighted the daily dangers faced by NDLEA officers, including ambushes and firearm attacks during interception operations on roads and even in shrines where drugs had been hidden.

Edo State has long struggled with cannabis cultivation in some rural communities and the transit of tramadol and codeine through its borders.

Young people, in particular, bear the heaviest burden — lost education, broken families, rising involvement in violent crime, and damaged mental health.

The destruction of such a large volume removes a ready supply from the streets, at least temporarily.

But behind the tonnage lies a quieter tragedy: the mothers who have watched their children slip into addiction, the communities where drug money once oiled local economies, and the officers who risk their lives knowing the networks they disrupt will try to regroup.

Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju of the Edo State NDLEA Command spoke plainly about the stakes.

“We may give our children the good things of life… but if we fail to protect them from drug and substance abuse, we have indeed given them nothing.”

While Thursday’s ceremony demonstrated operational success and inter-agency cooperation, experienced observers know that burning seized drugs is only one chapter in a longer story.

The real test lies in sustained efforts to:

Uproot cannabis farms at source rather than only intercepting finished products on the highway.
Tighten controls on pharmaceutical diversion that feeds tramadol and codeine abuse.
Expand prevention education in schools and communities.

Provide credible rehabilitation pathways so that those already hooked have a realistic chance of recovery.

The Edo State government’s pledge to build a modern rehab centre is therefore as important as the bonfire itself. Without treatment options, every kilogramme destroyed risks being replaced by the next consignment.

Public reaction on social media has been mixed — some expressed doubt about whether the drugs were genuinely destroyed or merely staged for cameras.

The presence of federal and state officials, the detailed breakdown released by the agency, and the scale of the operation (over 73 tonnes) lend the exercise credibility. Still, sustained transparency — including video documentation of future destructions — would further strengthen public trust.

For drug barons and middlemen, the Benin City operation is a reminder that the NDLEA under its current leadership is not retreating.

For ordinary Nigerians, especially parents in Edo and neighbouring states, it is a small but tangible sign that someone is still fighting for their children’s future.

The war on drugs will not be won by bonfires alone. It will be won when cultivation dries up, when trafficking routes become too costly to use, when young people see real alternatives to the quick money of the trade, and when those who fall into addiction can find help instead of stigma. Thursday’s destruction was necessary and visible.

The harder, quieter work of prevention, rehabilitation and economic opportunity must now keep pace.

NDLEA and its partners have shown they can seize and destroy on a massive scale. The next test is whether they — and the rest of society — can keep the next generation from ever needing those drugs in the first place.