NDLEA Auctions Forfeited Drug Traffickers’ Properties Across Nigeria, Generates Over N139 Million
Reporters: Okafor Joseph and Rita Uzuh, Senior Reporters, SpringnewsNG Media Limited
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has auctioned several properties seized from convicted drug traffickers, reinforcing its crackdown on illicit drug networks and the financial gains that fuel the trade.
The public auction, held on Tuesday at NDLEA’s National Headquarters in Abuja, involved pre-qualified auctioneers, government officials, civil society representatives, and the media. The auction targeted properties acquired through proceeds of drug trafficking or used to facilitate the crime.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), represented by the agency’s Secretary, Mr. Shadrack Haruna, said the exercise aligns with NDLEA’s commitment to strip drug offenders of both freedom and illicit wealth.
“Beyond prosecuting drug offenders, we are committed to removing the financial incentives that drive the crime. When traffickers lose their ill-gotten properties, it serves as a stronger deterrent than imprisonment alone,” Marwa stated.
The auction featured eight properties located in Lagos, Kano, Ondo, and Ogun states. Two properties in Lekki and Ikorodu, Lagos, were withdrawn from the sale after notices of appeal were filed.
Out of the six properties auctioned, two were successfully sold for over ₦139 million, surpassing their reserve prices. Other properties either received bids below the benchmark or attracted no bids.
Umar Yakubu, Executive Director of Centre for Transparency and Integrity Watch, praised NDLEA for conducting an open, credible, and internationally compliant auction, adding that such exercises educate the public on the serious consequences of drug-related crimes.
The agency also clarified that all participating auctioneers were pre-qualified by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to ensure transparency and to prevent the assets from returning to the original offenders through back channels.
Jerry Aernan, Director of Proceeds of Crime Management at NDLEA, emphasized that successful bidders must pay 10% of the bid value within 14 days, with the balance expected within the stipulated timeframe.
The auction underscores NDLEA’s dual strategy of prosecution and asset forfeiture, targeting the financial backbone of drug trafficking operations while deterring future offenders.
