The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has disclosed that the agency arrested 77,792 suspected drug traffickers, including 128 identified drug barons, over the past five years.
Marwa also revealed that the agency secured 14,225 convictions and seized more than 14.8 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances within the same period.
He made this known on Tuesday at the 11th NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Awards and Commendation Ceremony held at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The event also marked the commencement of Marwa’s second tenure following his reappointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Reflecting on the agency’s achievements since he assumed office in 2021, Marwa said the NDLEA had taken the fight against drug trafficking to the “doorsteps of the merchants of death.”
“When I first resumed in 2021, I promised to take the fight to the doorsteps of the merchants of death. Today, the numbers speak for themselves. Through our collective resilience, we have sent a clear message that Nigeria is no longer a safe haven for illicit drug enterprise,” he said.
According to him, the NDLEA recorded significant operational successes, including the arrest of tens of thousands of drug offenders and the disruption of major local and transnational drug trafficking networks through massive seizures.
Marwa stated that a total of 14,847,486.34 kilogrammes of illicit drugs were seized, significantly weakening drug supply chains across the country.
He added that the agency also strengthened the criminal justice response to drug-related offences, noting that the convictions secured served as a strong deterrent and reaffirmed that drug crimes carry serious consequences.
In addition to enforcement, Marwa said the NDLEA prioritised drug demand reduction through treatment, counselling and rehabilitation programmes, which benefitted 32,442 drug users.
He further disclosed that 13,735 sensitisation activities were carried out under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across schools, motor parks, workplaces, religious centres and communities nationwide.
Addressing officers and personnel of the agency, Marwa urged them to brace for more demanding operations, stressing that there would be no room for complacency.
“The next phase of our operations demands even more grit and tactical sophistication. We will not rest until every drug baron is behind bars, every trafficker is intercepted, every mule is caught, and every single gram of illicit drug is removed from our streets and communities,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to sustained pressure against drug trafficking, describing the NDLEA’s mission as the total disruption of drug networks and the protection of Nigerian communities.
