The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has arrested 8, 257 suspected drug traffickers and seized 263,947.57kg of illicit drugs across the country in 2016.

The Chairman of the agency, Col Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd), disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at a news briefing as part of activities marking the “2017 International Day against Drugs and Illicit Trafficking” which holds every June 26.

He however said the grand finale of the activities would hold on 4th July 2017.

Abdallah who said the arrested suspects in 2016 comprised of 7,720 males and 537 females.

He added that this comparatively meant a reduction of 521 persons arrested in 2015 which totalled 8, 778, and also a reduction by 639, 677kg of the drug seized in 2016 compared to the total of 903, 624 seized in 2015.

“This reduction was due to updated strategies adopted by the Agency in preventing cannabis cultivation as cannabis seizure alone in 2015 was 871, 480kg,” he said.

He gave the 2016 breakdown as 305.166kg cocaine, 66.283kg heroin, 187, 394.00kg cannabis sativa, 1,352.56kg methamphetamine, 718.265 ephedrine and 74, 111.30kg of other sundry drugs.

According to the NDLEA boss, the number of cases so far delivered in favour of the agency had increased by 559 from 1,690 in 2015 to 2,249 in 2016, while more cannabis plantations totalling 718.78 hectares were destroyed compare to 377.12 hectares destroyed in 2015.

While soliciting the support of the society, he said the agency alone cannot fight against drug trafficking, and urged families, schools, religious organisations and other stakeholders across the country to work as a team to control the use of illicit drugs.

DailyTrust