Marwa Hail Ogunsan, LSSTF for Massive Support towards Drug-Free Society • As NDLEA destroys N301bn worth of cocaine, heroin, opioids, other illicit drugs in Lagos
By Oki O. Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
In the war against illicit drugs, the most consequential victories are often won long before seized substances are destroyed in public. They are secured through the less visible architecture of partnership in which security agencies are equipped, personnel are trained, intelligence is strengthened and institutions find ways to work beyond the boundaries of their individual mandates.
It was against this backdrop that the Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commend the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) and its Executive Secretary/CEO, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan among other stakeholders for special recognitions.
At a ceremony that illustrated the scale of Nigeria’s drug problem, the NDLEA publicly destroyed illicit drugs valued at about NGN 301.058 billion, but the occasion also became a significant recognition of the institutional partnerships that is helping the agency confront the menace. Marwa personally presented an award of recognition to Dr. Ogunsan, commending the LSSTF chief executive and the Fund for their “collaboration and demonstrable partnership for a drug-free society.” The recognition placed the LSSTF’s intervention in a wider context that security is no longer sustained by government agencies working in isolation, but by strategic partnerships that provide the personnel, logistics and operational capacity required to keep communities safe.
For LSSTF, the recognition is particularly significant because the Fund’s intervention model extends beyond conventional policing. Through its public-private partnership structure, the organisation mobilises resources and channels them towards critical needs across Lagos’ security architecture, including agencies such as the NDLEA. Its support has included operational equipment, vehicles, infrastructure and capacity development designed to enable security and law-enforcement personnel perform more effectively. The award to Ogunsan therefore represents more than a personal honour; it is an acknowledgement of the impact that sustained institutional support can have on the frontline battle against drugs, organised crime and the wider security challenges associated with them. The award was received on behalf of the LSSTF CEO, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan by the Director of Administration, Mr. Adegbola Lewis.
The NDLEA’s destruction exercise, conducted on Monday, August 17, at Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, followed orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, and involved uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures. According to the Agency, a total of 329,865.585 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs, with an estimated street value of N301,058,076,000, were destroyed. Of the total quantity, 246,864.535 kilogrammes were seized by the Lagos Strategic Command between April 2025 and May 2026, while another 83,001.05 kilogrammes came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit. The substances destroyed included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis varieties including Canadian Loud and skunk, ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup, other opioids and khat leaf.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Marwa retd. described the exercise as a powerful demonstration of Nigeria’s determination to protect its citizens and deny criminal enterprises the resources required to thrive. He said the significance of the drugs destroyed went beyond their monetary value, pointing to the human consequences of drug abuse including addiction, broken families, impaired driving, crime and the destruction of young lives. Marwa also linked the illicit drug economy to broader national security challenges, noting that drug trafficking provides funding for organised criminal networks, terrorism and violent extremism.
The NDLEA Chairman issued a direct warning to drug barons, traffickers, financiers, distributors and dealers who continue to operate across the country. “Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” Marwa vowed, stressing that the Agency would remain “resolute, relentless and uncompromising” in dismantling criminal networks and their financial structures.
He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its support, alongside the Judiciary, Lagos State Government, military, sister security agencies, international partners, LSSTF, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, the media and members of the public.
The Executive Governor of Lagos State, Gov. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, described the scale of the destruction as “a huge and sobering reminder” of the threat illicit drugs pose to communities, young people and Nigeria’s collective future. The Governor said the exercise was also evidence of what could be achieved when law enforcement, the judiciary and government work together around a common purpose.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, equally praised the NDLEA, describing the scale of the seizures as a strong message to drug dealers that they were “no longer welcome in Nigeria.” He noted the connection between drug trafficking and violent non-state actors, observing that narcotics provide the “oxygen” for activities by bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents and terrorists.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha, assured the NDLEA of continued support from the Nigerian Navy in the fight against illicit drugs.
On behalf of the officers and men of the Lagos Strategic Command of NDLEA and other commands within Lagos state, the Commander of NDLEA Lagos Strategic Command, ACGN Wali Liman Abubakar also appreciated “the support and collaboration of the Judiciary, the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF; ES/CEO, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, and all sister security agencies, whose partnership continues to strengthen our operations and our successes” and urged young people to reject illicit drugs and embrace productive, healthy lifestyles.
“Under the leadership of our Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) CON, OFR, the NDLEA remains committed to ensuring that seized drugs are permanently removed from circulation and never find their way back to our streets and communities.”
As the nation’s commercial capital and a major gateway into Nigeria, Lagos continues to record significant drug seizures. By destroying these exhibits today, we send a clear and unmistakable message to drug traffickers and criminal organisations: their activities will not be tolerated, and Lagos remains hostile territory for drug crime.”
Against the backdrop of the destruction exercise, Marwa’s recognition of Dr. Ogunsan assumes a deeper significance. The award underscores the fact that the war against drugs cannot be reduced to arrests, seizures and prosecutions alone. It requires an ecosystem of support in which frontline agencies have the equipment, mobility, infrastructure and human capacity to pursue traffickers and protect vulnerable communities.
For Ogunsan and the LSSTF, the recognition is a validation of a philosophy that places collaboration at the centre of security intervention. By supporting the NDLEA and other security agencies operating in Lagos, the Fund is helping to strengthen the institutional backbone upon which enforcement depends.
