June 26, (THEWILL) – The National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ogun State Command, has organised an inter-agency football and table tennis tournament to promote collaboration and unity among law enforcement agencies in the state.
The move was part of the agency’s activities to commemorate the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with its theme “The Evidence Is Clear: Invest In Prevention”.
Law enforcement agencies that participated in the tournament included the NDLEA, the Nigeria Army, the Nigeria Police Force, Social Orientation and Safety Corps (So-Safe), Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Immigration, among others.
The State’s NDLEA Commander, Tijjani Rabe, who spoke at the Grand Finale of the tournament at M.K.O. Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, on Thursday, said that the purpose of the sports event was to create a cordial working relationship between his agency and other sister agencies to combat drug abuse in the state.
Rabe said that NDLEA marked a significant achievement in combating drug abuse and trafficking from the celebration of last 2024 World Drug Day till date by seizing Notable quantities of illicit substances.
He mentioned them to include: Cannabis (18,718.547kg); Methamphetamine (0.337kg); Cocaine (0.002kg); Skuches (897.10litres); Monkey tail (2.25 litres); Tramadol (372.533kg).
Others are: Rohypnol (3.64kg); Diazepam (11.188kg); Molly (13.354kg); Codeine (158.92litres); Phenobarbital (0.015kg); and Pentazocine Injection (2063 Ampoules).
The Commander also said that about 847 people were involved in drug-related crimes, while 452 had been counselled on the dangers of drug abuse, noting that 209 individuals had been convicted for drug-related offences as the command carried out 153 advocacy visits to educate members of the public about the dangers of drug abuse.
“The NDLEA, Ogun State Command, remains committed to its efforts to prevent the supply and demand of illicit substances and to educate the public about the dangers of drug abuse”, he added.
Earlier, the First Lady of the state, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, who was represented by the wife of the Speaker, Mrs Yinka Elemide, said that she would continue to join hands with the anti-narcotic agency to fight against drug abuse in the state.
“As the first lady, I will reaffirm my commitment to my office to continue supporting this fight through advocacy, youth engagement. I support the treatment and rehabilitation programme. I believe strongly in the approach, one that involves prevention, education, sensitisation, enforcement and treatment.”
The highlight of the event was the final football match between the Nigeria Police and the NYSC, where the police team defeated the corps member team 5-1.
