By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kogi State has arrested 339 suspects and seized 7,746 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs between January and December 2025.
The Assistant Commandant-General of Narcotics and Head of the NDLEA Strategic Command in Kogi State, Mr Mustapha Yahuza, disclosed this at a press briefing in Lokoja on Friday.
According to Yahuza, the suspects were arrested for offences related to hard drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, tramadol and other psychotropic substances. He added that within the period under review, the command also secured 80 convictions, with offenders receiving various jail terms.
“The arrests and seizures were recorded as part of our sustained enforcement operations throughout the 2025 operational year,” he said.
Yahuza further disclosed that the counselling unit of the command provided brief intervention services to 238 drug-dependent persons during the period, as part of efforts to address drug abuse and addiction.
On drug demand reduction, he said the command intensified preventive education and advocacy through the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
“In the area of drug demand reduction, which includes drug abuse preventive education and the WADA campaign, the command carried out about 71 sensitisation campaigns at motor parks, schools, marketplaces, mosques, churches and other public places,” he said.
The NDLEA commander also revealed that the command collaborated with Ohunene Empowerment Initiative, a non-governmental organisation and a pet project of the wife of the Kogi State Governor, Hajiya Sefinat Ododo, to support public enlightenment and other drug prevention activities across the state.
He commended Governor Ahmed Ododo for constituting a high-powered State Drug Control Committee (SDCC), describing it as a strategic step towards strengthening drug supply and demand reduction policies in Kogi State.
Yahuza added that the Ododo administration has initiated the construction of a comprehensive drug rehabilitation and skills acquisition centre, which is currently ongoing.
The NDLEA boss expressed appreciation to the governor for what he described as his commitment to the welfare, safety and security of lives and property in the state, assuring residents that the agency would sustain its crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse.
