The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it arrested 600 suspected drug offenders and confiscated more than 621 kilogrammes of illicit substances in Bayelsa State between January and December 2025.
The Bayelsa State Commander of the agency, Kanu Sunny Chukwuemeka, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Yenagoa.
He explained that the arrests followed a year-long enforcement drive involving undercover operations, patrols, and coordinated raids on locations linked to drug trafficking.
“During the year under review, the command carried out undercover operations, motorised patrols and raids aimed at cutting drug supply and reducing demand,” Chukwuemeka said.
“A total of 600 suspects were arrested, comprising 407 males and 193 females, while the total weight of drugs seized stood at 621.556 kilogrammes.”
He added that the agency also recovered 51,445 tablets and capsules, 658 injection ampoules, and 224 bottles of codeine-based substances containing psychotropic drugs and opioids.
According to him, a mixture of cannabis and alcohol — commonly known as monkey tail, koskorin, or wisdom wine — remained the most abused substance in the state
“A combined mixture of cannabis sativa and alcohol measuring 435.055 litres and weighing 365.53 kilogrammes is the most prevalent substance abused in Bayelsa State in 2025,” he said.
The commander noted that people aged between 21 and 25 years formed the largest group of drug users, while the street value of the seized drugs was estimated at more than ₦64.7 million.
Chukwuemeka further revealed that Yenagoa recorded the highest number of arrests with 407 suspects, followed by Ogbia Local Government Area with 79.
On prosecution efforts, he said 20 cases were filed at the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, leading to eight convictions, while three cases were struck out and one withdrawn.
He also disclosed that 621 persons were referred for counselling, 34 individuals completed rehabilitation programmes, and 671 drug integrity tests were conducted among students and residents.
Expressing concern over the growing abuse of cannabis mixtures, the NDLEA commander urged the Bayelsa State Government and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration with the agency.
“More residents are failing drug integrity tests due to the abuse of cannabis mixed with alcohol,” he said.
“We call for stronger partnership with stakeholders to curb substance abuse across the state.”
In a related development, the NDLEA’s Kano Strategic Command recently arrested 17 suspects and seized various illicit substances in an operation aimed at ensuring a drug-free environment ahead of Ramadan.
