The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has destroyed more than 73,000 kilograms of seized illicit drugs in Edo State, in one of the agency's large-scale disposal exercises. The drugs, which had been intercepted in a series of operations, were destroyed in line with a court order, as the command moved to clear out the stockpile of substances it had taken off the streets.
The destruction exercise took place at Idogbo in the Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state. According to the agency, the disposal was carried out following an order of the Federal High Court, which authorised the agency to destroy the consignments that had been kept as exhibits from various drug operations.
In all, 73,463.21 kilograms of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were destroyed during the exercise. The sheer scale of the haul pointed to the volume of illicit substances that had been seized and stored by the command over time before the court cleared the way for their final disposal.
The consignments covered a wide range of substances, including cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other controlled drugs. According to the agency, the items had been recovered during various operations carried out across different parts of the state as part of its enforcement activities against drug trafficking and abuse.
Of the substances destroyed, cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, made up the bulk of the consignment and accounted for the largest share of the total weight. The dominance of cannabis in the haul reflected the prevalence of the drug among the substances intercepted in the state.
The Edo State Commander of the NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, who supervised the exercise, said the destruction marked a significant milestone in the command's ongoing efforts against drug syndicates. He highlighted the recent operational successes recorded by the command, presenting the disposal as part of a sustained push to disrupt the trade in illicit drugs across the state.