Lagos, Dec 1 (IANS): Nigeria's anti-drug agency has burned down 20 tons of drugs and illegal substances as part of the ongoing fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the West African nation, an official said.

Mohammed Buba Marwa, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Tuesday said at a ceremony held on the outskirts of Abuja that the exercise was under the prescription of the country's environmental regulations enforcement agency, concerning the best method of disposing of seized drugs without polluting environmental ecosystem or endangering public health.

He described the public destruction of 20 tons of assorted illicit drugs as a further affirmation of the resolve of the anti-drug agency to fight drug abuse and trafficking, Xinhua news agency reported.

He told the gathering the destroyed illicit drugs included cocaine, heroin and other illegal substances, which have been seized in different operations across the country in recent months.

While stating the quantity of drugs being destroyed is a reminder of the magnitude of the drug problem in the country, Marwa said the dire implications of the country's drug prevalence rate are the reason the NDLEA has doubled down on efforts and is now aggressively pursuing its mandate.

"To this end, NDLEA has been effectively repositioned more than ever before to curtail the production, cultivation, processing, importation, exportation, sales, trafficking, and abuse of controlled drugs and illicit substances," he added.

He said with more than 10,000 arrests, more than 1,000 jailed, and 5,579 counseled and rehabilitated in 10 months, the agency was not resting on its oars.