The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Kwara Command has reported the arrest of 929 individuals for drug-related offenses between January and December 2024. The state Commander, Mrs. Fatima Popoola, shared these details during a news conference at the NDLEA headquarters in Ilorin on Monday.
Popoola stated that the arrests included 839 males and 90 females. Over the course of the year, the command successfully seized a total of 2,642,103 kilograms of illicit drugs. The confiscated substances included cannabis, tramadol, diazepam, methamphetamine, cough syrup laced with codeine, and cocaine/crack. Cannabis was the most prevalent, with 1,455,529 kilograms seized, highlighting the urgent need for intervention to combat its abuse and trafficking in the state.
The commander also mentioned that 185 drug users had been apprehended and referred to the Drug Demand Reduction Unit for brief interventions, with the aim of reintegrating them into society. Additionally, 22 clients were admitted to the NDLEA rehabilitation facility, while 17 non-residential clients received counseling at home.
The legal services unit of the command successfully secured 133 convictions from the Federal High Court in Ilorin, involving 123 males and 10 females. Furthermore, 14 motor vehicles, 12 motorcycles, and monies associated with the drug crimes were seized and forfeited to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
As part of the state’s ongoing efforts to reduce drug abuse, the Kwara Command, in collaboration with the state government, introduced a drug integrity test initiative. This initiative included testing 261 fresh students at Kwara State University, Malete, for illicit substances. All students tested negative, and Popoola praised the university for fostering a suitable environment for the initiative. She encouraged other institutions of higher learning to adopt similar policies to help achieve Nigeria’s Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on health and wellbeing for all by 2030.
Popoola also noted that although the command’s rehabilitation center, designed to accommodate 200 people for treatment and counseling, had yet to be completed due to funding constraints, the efforts to combat drug abuse in the state would continue.