The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has destroyed 329,865.585 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and psychotropic substances with an estimated street value of N301.06 billion in Lagos.

The destruction exercise was carried out on Monday, August 17, at Navy Town in the Ojo area of Lagos, following orders from the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division.

The exercise covered illicit drugs linked to uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures.

The ceremony attracted senior government and security officials, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha.

The bulk of the destroyed drugs came from seizures made by the NDLEA Lagos Strategic Command.

According to the agency, 246,864.535 kilogrammes were seized by the command between April 2025 and May 2026.

Another 83,001.05 kilogrammes came from operations conducted by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, the Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit, all operating within Lagos.

The destroyed consignment consisted mainly of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and various strains of cannabis, including Canadian Loud and skunk.

It also included ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup, other opioids and khat leaf.

Speaking at the event, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), described the destruction as a demonstration of Nigeria’s determination to disrupt the operations of criminal networks involved in the illicit drug trade.

Marwa said the seizure and destruction of the drugs went beyond removing contraband from circulation, arguing that drug trafficking contributes to addiction, crime, healthcare costs and wider economic losses.

He also linked the illicit drug trade to organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism.

Warning drug barons, traffickers, financiers, distributors and dealers, Marwa said:

“Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you.”

He also called on parents, schools, religious and traditional leaders, the media and other Nigerians to take an active role in combating illicit drug abuse and trafficking.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by Salu-Hundeyin, described the scale of the destruction, about 300 tonnes of narcotics and psychotropic substances, as a sobering reminder of the threat posed by illicit drugs to communities and young people.

“The scale of what has been destroyed today, about 300 tons of narcotics and psychotropic substances, is a huge and sobering reminder of the enormity of the threat that illicit drugs pose to our communities, our young people, and our collective future,” he said.

Adeniyi said the scale of the destruction was not the only significant aspect of the exercise, pointing to the drugs’ origins in operations across seaports, airports and land borders.

The Customs chief said the operation sends a strong message to drug dealers that they are no longer welcome in Nigeria.

He also linked proceeds from the drug trade to violent non-state actors, including bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents and terrorists.

The latest destruction comes amid a series of major drug seizures by the NDLEA in Lagos.

In one set of operations, the agency intercepted a combined haul of cocaine, cannabis and opioids worth an estimated N10 billion at Lagos ports and courier facilities within a single week.

The agency also raided three illicit drug warehouses in Lagos and recovered opioids valued at N16.9 billion.

The seizure was disclosed by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi on April 29.

In another Lagos operation in May, NDLEA operatives uncovered 2,326 kilogrammes of Loud cannabis valued at more than N5.8 billion.

The agency has also continued large-scale destruction exercises in other parts of the country.

In June, it destroyed 73,463.21 kilogrammes of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances valued at N2.8 billion in Edo State.

The NDLEA has carried out other major eradication and destruction operations in recent years, including the destruction of an eight-hectare cannabis plantation in Cross River State and a 30-hectare cannabis farm in the state in June 2025.

In April 2024, the agency also destroyed 304,436 kilogrammes and 40,042 litres of narcotics.

However, the 329,865.585 kilogrammes destroyed in Monday’s Lagos exercise is substantially larger than the 73,463.21-kilogramme consignment destroyed in Edo in June, underscoring the scale of the latest operation.