ABUJA, Nigeria (Chatnewstv.com) — Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi on Wednesday called for a review of sentencing guidelines that would require convicted drug offenders to perform community service, saying it could deter others from engaging in illegal drug activities.
Speaking during the commissioning of 46 operational vehicles for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Fagbemi suggested that convicts be sent to their local communities to carry out hard labor.
“Those who are convicted of a criminal offence involving an illicit drug usage and sentenced to hard labour should be taken to their local government or village to do this hard work,” he said. “When you see somebody who has been dealing in illegal drugs and you ask him to pick papers or wash toilets, that may also be a deterrent.”
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa described the delivery of the vehicles — 36 Mecanno SUVs and 10 Mecanno executive sedans — as “symbolic and historic,” marking the first time in the agency’s 35-year history that official cars have been provided for commanders. The vehicles will be deployed to directors, zonal commanders, and state commanders nationwide.
Marwa linked drug abuse to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, saying kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, insurgency, and cult violence are “all fuelled by illicit substances.” He reported that between January 2024 and June 2025, the agency seized over 1 billion Tramadol pills, 14.4 million bottles of codeine, 5.5 million kilograms of assorted drugs, destroyed 700 hectares of cannabis farms, and arrested 40,887 offenders.
“Every ground seized, every suspect arrested, every drug user rehabilitated contributes to building a safer and healthier Nigeria,” Marwa said.
Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa praised the NDLEA’s transformation “from a dormant to a frontline organisation” and pledged continued collaboration with the armed forces in the fight against narcotics.
“All these bandits, terrorists, insurgents cannot operate without taking illegal drugs, and your ability to curtail and reduce this has assisted us in improving security,” Musa said.
Adebowale Adedokun, director-general of the Bureau of Public Procurement, commended the agency for its “transparency” in acquiring the vehicles, noting that they meet standardisation requirements and are “fit for purpose.”
