The Nigerian anti-drug agency says it has arrested more than 500 suspects and large quantities of illicit drugs in an ongoing special operation across the country.

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) the operation code-named ‘Operation Mop Up’ is aimed at ensuring peaceful swearings-in of the country's new president Bola Tinubu and various state governors due to take place on May 29.

In a statement, the agency says ''not less than 534 suspects have been arrested'' in the anti-drug operation and ''tonnes of illicit drug s including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, tramadol, codeine-based syrup, cannabis sativa and various psychoactive substances'' were recovered in recent days.

Nigeria held presidential and parliamentary elections in February. The ruling APC party candidate Bola Tinubu won the presidential vote.

He is due to be sworn in on May 29 to succeed incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, who is serving his final term in office. State governors elected in March are also due to be sworn in on the same day.

Law enforcement agencies often say young people abusing drugs are usually manipulated by some politicians to cause trouble during political activities in Africa's largest democracy. The authorities say they are determined to tackle the problem.

The Nigerian anti-drug agency had described the rate of drug abuse in the country as endemic but that progress was being made in the fight against illicit drugs.

The NDLE has made numerous arrests including of suspected international barons as well as seizures of large quantities of hard drugs in the past one year.

In September last year it announced its “biggest singular cocaine seizure” in its history when recovered 1.8 tonnes of the drug worth more than 278 million dollars in the commercial hub Lagos.