The Chairman, Nigerian Drug Law and Enforce­ment Agency (NDLEA), Col. Muhammad Abdallah (rtd) on Tuesday said that 77,558 persons were arrested for drug trafficking between 2015 and 2016.
Abdallah, who was repre­sented by Mr Kayode Adeniyi, a Commander in the Agency, disclosed this in Lagos at a one-day seminar to mark the International Day Against Drug and Human Trafficking.
He said that drug trafficking tagged as the most lucrative business, was usually moti­vated by the profit which could generate about $320 billion dollars per annum.
“The NDLEA first discov­ered a methamphetamine lab­oratory at Maza-Maza area of Lagos in 2011 and till date, 12 other laboratories were discov­ered in Lagos, Anambra and Delta States.
“Of the arrested 77,558 drug traffickers, 72,735 are males while 4,823 are females; so, you can see that the business of drug trafficking does not have to do with just the male gender.
“It is very painful that Ni­geria has been implicated as a source, transit and destination point for drugs and human trafficking”, he said.
The chairman called for the collaboration of all security agencies to share information on how to effectively check the menace of drug traffick­ing.
He also said that public enlightenment should be em­barked upon to educate peo­ple on the evils of drug and human trafficking.
The Chairman of the occa­sion, Mr Wale Olaoye, Chief Executive Officer, Halogen Security, said human traf­ficking in the next few years would surpass illegal sale of arms and this should be taken importantly.
“We are looking to change the narrative as Nigeria tops other countries in production and seizure of hard drugs.