Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), says securing Nigeria from drug abuse, trafficking, and related crimes must be treated as a shared responsibility.
Speaking at the 7th Security and Emergency Management Awards in Abuja, Marwa pledged to build on the agency’s recent gains in his second term, combining stronger interdictions with expanded treatment and prevention programmes.
“Securing our nation is a shared responsibility,” he said.
“We will deepen both supply reduction through aggressive operations and demand reduction through compassionate treatment and awareness.”
Marwa revealed that the NDLEA recorded 16,304 arrests, 3,000 convictions, and 4.5 million kilograms of drug seizures in 10 months, while also destroying 612 hectares of cannabis farms.
He highlighted ongoing nationwide WADA sensitisation efforts and the expansion of 30 rehabilitation centres.
Civil society leaders, including CISLAC’s Auwal Musa Rafsanjani and former military spokesperson Gen. Chris Olukolade (rtd), praised the NDLEA’s work, describing Marwa’s leadership as pivotal to national security.
Marwa received the Outstanding Personality of the Year Award, while NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi was honoured as Outstanding Crisis Communicator of the Year.
