The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has justified the burning of cocaine and other illicit drugs seized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NDLEA’s recent revelation of seizing and setting ablaze cocaine weighing 1.8 tonnes and valued at over N194 billion set off a barrage of criticisms.
The cocaine, set ablaze at the NDLEA Seme Special Area Command compound at Bereko, Badagry area of Lagos on Tuesday, was said to be “the biggest singular cocaine seizure” in the agency’s history.
Many Nigerians condemned NDLEA’s handling of the seized drugs for various reasons, including economic and evidential.
They said the government could put the high-worth illicit drugs to innovative use that could help the economy, while others said it should have been reserved for prosecuting the culprits from whom it was seized.
There were others who expressed concerns about the environment hazards of the burning.
But fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Mr Malami said the drugs were burnt to stop them from circulating in the country.
He echoed NDLEA’s explanation that a small sample of the drug was retained as evidence for prosecution.
“They were burnt because we are not drug dealers, our obligation is to ensure that they are eliminated and stopped from circulating in the system.
“There should be evidence and the evidence is there, accordingly profiled before being destroyed.
“Even the chairman mentioned it, they retained a little to (for) us in court, but destroyed most of it and was witnessed by the people that carried it. It was also in the news that was carried,” he said.
Malami, whose ministry plays supervisory roles over the NDLEA, also said Nigeria could not derive economic benefit from the cocaine, or else the government would become a drug peddler.
“Most of it was destroyed and I think somebody was saying ‘why should they destroy something worth N194 billion?’. But if the government were to start trading that, we’ll become drug dealers as well.
“We cannot derive an economic benefit from it, but to destroy it, because you don’t want drugs circulating,” Mr Malami said.
Malami had earlier disclosed how the FEC, at its Wednesday’s meeting approved N580.5 million for the procurement of four armoured vehicles to fight dangerous and illicit drugs by NDLEA.
The AGF said “this government has demonstrated a capacity to do things differently, not only as it relates to the fight against drug abuse.”
He said the government had out-performed previous governments since 1999 in the fight against illicit drugs.
“This is a government that within a period of, for example, from January 2022 to date, about N40 billion worth of drugs were confiscated, arising from the efforts of the government; the policy, the position and the political commitment demonstrated.
“This is a government that, even as at last week, has succeeded, by way of establishing an unprecedented track record in having the largest seizure of cocaine of about N194 billion value,” the minister said.
He said the President Muhammadu Buhari adminstration had distinguished itself from the previous administrations in terms of the funding, the policy-drive and implementation.
“The clear answer is the fact that there exists a great political will in addressing the challenges being faced in all directions and in all respects,” Mr Malami said.
It will be recalled that on 18 September, officials of the agency busted a major warehouse at Solebo Estate in the Ikorodu area of the state where over N194.8 billion worth of crack in street value were seized.
The decision to destroy the bulk of the seizure follows an order obtained by the agency from a high court in Lagos, the agency’s boss, Buba Marwa, said.
Marwa was represented by Sunday Mbona, the agency’s director, prosecution and legal service.
Out of the 1.8-ton seizure, 1,828 blocks of cocaine were set ablaze while the remnants were secured for the purpose of prosecution of the suspects.
The five suspects linked to the cocaine were brought to the scene as witnesses and made to sign the certificate of destruction.
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