THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have unveiled a weeklong series of activities to commemorate the 2026 World Drug Day, with the anti-narcotics agency vowing to aggressively liquidate the financial empires of illicit drug cartels.

The initiatives were disclosed during a joint press briefing at the NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja at the weekend, ahead of the global event observed annually on June 26.

Speaking on this year’s theme “The World Drug Problem: Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses.” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CCEO) of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed  Marwa (rtd), stated that old enforcement models are no longer sufficient to combat the rise of synthetic drugs and digital black markets.
Represented by the agency’s Secretary, Shadrach Haruna, he said “Under the continuous support of the Federal Government and our diverse stakeholders, we have heavily modernised our operations and  our enforcement capabilities with aggressive social advocacy.

“Our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative remains our primary vehicle for preventive action, refitted to address these new challenges by leveraging data, community intelligence, and innovative public enlightenment tools.”

Marwa added that the agency’s offensive action campaign, fortified by the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), is actively targeting the assets of major syndicates.

“We are not just arresting traffickers, we are liquidating their financial empires.

“Through civil action instruments, assets reasonably suspected to be proceeds of drug crimes are aggressively targeted and forfeited to the Federal Government, effectively cutting off the lifeblood of these criminal networks.”

The anti-drug agency detailed a series of advocacy and spiritual events leading up to the grand finale including a special Juma’at prayers at the National Mosque, Abuja on Friday, June 19, a ‘Walk Against Drugs,’ and a nationwide thanksgiving church service among others.