Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) has revealed that the agency secured the conviction of 3,000 drug offenders in 10 months.
Marwa made this known while delivering a keynote address at the 7th Security and Emergency Management Awards and Conference (SAEMA 2025) hosted at the NDLEA’s national headquarters in Abuja yesterday.
Speaking, the NDLEA Chief Executive assured that the Agency will build on the successes of the last five years during his second tenure with aggressive interdictions and compassionate treatment, rehabilitation and prevention programs.
Commenting on the successes recorded by the agency, he revealed, “in the first 10 months of this year alone, we have recorded over 16,304 arrests and have successfully prosecuted and secured the conviction of about 3,000 drug offenders with hundreds of cases ongoing in court.”
“In the same vein, we have seized 4.5 million kilograms of illicit substances. We go the extra mile deep into the forests to locate cannabis plantations and destroy them. In these operations, we have destroyed 612.2864 hectares of cannabis farms within the same 10-month period.”
He noted further that the agency will continue to adopt a balanced approach—placing equal emphasis on Supply Reduction through aggressive interdiction and Demand Reduction through compassionate treatment and prevention.
“This menace demands a multi-sectoral response involving law enforcement agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, educators, the media, and the entire community. This is why I can’t but commend IMPR and its partners for this initiative as well as choosing “Drug Control and National Security: Innovations for a Safer Tomorrow” as the theme for SAEMA 2025”, he stated.
He said as an Agency with the mandate to curb illicit drug problems, the NDLEA under his leadership has responded to the challenge and pursued a two-pronged strategy.