The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended officers and men of the agency for sustaining the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the past 30 months under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking at a ceremony in Abuja where 220 personnel received commendation letters and awards for outstanding performance, and 15 senior officers were decorated with new ranks, Marwa praised the dedication and integrity of the agency’s operatives despite the dangers they face daily.
“Today, we specifically recognise those who have gone above and beyond,” he said. “We celebrate those who, despite facing immense danger and relentless temptation, chose the path of integrity, selflessness, and uncompromising adherence to our mandate.”
Marwa disclosed that between May 2022 and October 2025, NDLEA operatives arrested 45,853 suspects, seized over 8.5 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs, and secured 9,263 convictions. He added that 26,613 drug users were counselled and rehabilitated in treatment facilities across the country, while 9,848 War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns were conducted in schools, markets, workplaces, motor parks, and worship centres.
While acknowledging the officers’ achievements, Marwa cautioned that the challenge of drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria remained “monumental.”
“Drug abuse, trafficking, and the associated criminal enterprises represent a direct and existential threat to our social fabric, economic stability, and national security,” he said. “They fuel crime, corrupt our youth, and provide resources for terrorism and insurgency. But for every kilogramme of cocaine intercepted, every clandestine laboratory dismantled, and every major drug kingpin apprehended, a critical blow is delivered to these criminal networks.”
He explained that the agency’s reward system was designed to sustain morale and reinforce the culture of excellence within the NDLEA workforce. “We uphold our tradition of rewarding key virtues: hard work, loyalty, sacrifice, integrity, commitment, honesty, courage, and obedience,” he said.
According to him, the commendation and awards initiative, introduced four and a half years ago, has significantly boosted discipline and productivity across commands nationwide. However, he urged officers to remain committed to standard operating procedures, warning that any deviation could compromise their safety and the agency’s reputation.
“For decades, we lagged behind, constrained by a lack of resources and limited capacity. Now that we are gaining momentum, we must work to dismantle the structures put in place by drug cartels using the full force of the law,” Marwa stated.
He also expressed gratitude to both local and international partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the UK Border Force, and the governments of France and Germany, for their support.
Marwa further appreciated the National Assembly’s committees on narcotic drugs, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Judiciary, and President Tinubu for their continued backing of the agency’s mission to make Nigeria drug-free.
Special guests, including the representative of the Kogi State governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (rtd), and the Chairman of the House Committee on Insurance, Ahmed Jaha, commended Marwa’s leadership style, describing it as instrumental to the NDLEA’s improved efficiency and morale.
