The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has recorded significant successes in dismantling drug trafficking syndicates that recruit and exploit women for illicit drug operations across Nigeria.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), where he outlined the NDLEA’s strategy of targeting not only drug couriers but also the masterminds behind such operations.
Babafemi said the agency remains committed to dismantling networks that prey on women and other vulnerable groups by tracing the chain of command beyond those caught transporting illicit drugs.
“We don’t just stop at the level of the traffickers or the mules. We follow the chain to the top of the ladder to ensure that the big masterminds hiding behind various fronts to recruit women and vulnerable groups into these activities are brought to book. We have been very successful in doing that,” he said.
According to him, several investigations involving women recruited into drug trafficking have led to the arrest and prosecution of the syndicate leaders responsible for orchestrating the illegal operations.
Babafemi noted that the agency’s enforcement efforts are complemented by preventive measures aimed at discouraging women from becoming involved in drug-related crimes.
However, he acknowledged that cultural and religious factors sometimes pose challenges to the agency’s sensitisation campaigns.
He explained that such barriers can restrict direct engagement with certain groups of women during advocacy programmes, making it more difficult to educate them on the dangers and consequences of involvement in illicit drug trafficking.
Despite these challenges, the NDLEA official reaffirmed the agency’s determination to intensify its crackdown on drug trafficking networks while expanding public awareness initiatives to protect vulnerable groups from exploitation by criminal organisations.
