Ms Ibironke Ariyo, a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has been honoured alongside 282 individuals and organisations by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for their contributions to the fight against illicit drugs and substance abuse.
The award was presented on Thursday at the 12th edition of the NDLEA Chief Executive’s Awards and Recognition Ceremony.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, said the annual ceremony was established to recognise courage, sacrifice and excellence among personnel and partners supporting the agency’s anti drug operations.
Marwa said the awardees represented individuals and organisations whose dedication had contributed to the agency’s successes in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) and efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
He highlighted major operations involving the dismantling of the Amadi Simon cartel, the disruption of Nigerian Mexican methamphetamine cartels operating in Ogun and Oyo forests, and the disruption of a Tramadol cartel operating along the Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria corridor.
The NDLEA chairman said the agency’s achievements were supported by intelligence gathering, international cooperation and partnerships with law enforcement agencies in other countries.
He disclosed that more than 200 personnel were being recognised for outstanding performance, while nine officers received special commendations and 18 commands were honoured for their operational achievements.
Marwa said the 2026 awards were significant because the agency expanded its recognition to include non government organisations and media platforms that have supported the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
He noted that 11 NGOs and eight media platforms, alongside their reporters, were honoured for their contributions to public awareness, community engagement, rehabilitation and drug demand reduction.
The NDLEA chairman stressed that the fight against illicit drugs could not be won through enforcement alone, urging civil society organisations and the media to deepen their collaboration with the agency.
Earlier, the NDLEA Director of Planning and Research, Mrs Bridget Ede, said partnerships with NGOs, media organisations and international partners had strengthened intelligence sharing, community engagement and drug demand reduction programmes.
Ede congratulated the 283 awardees, describing their recognition as evidence of their dedication, innovation and commitment to supporting the NDLEA’s mandate.
NAN reports that the NDLEA described the fight against illicit drugs as a generational responsibility and urged its personnel and partners to sustain efforts toward reducing drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country.
Tags: NDLEA, Ibironke Ariyo, News Agency of Nigeria, Drug Abuse, Drug Trafficking, War Against Drug Abuse, Buba Marwa, Substance Abuse, Drug Control, Nigeria, Law Enforcement, Civil Society Organisations, Media, WADA, NAN
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