Dismantle drug cartels’ financial networks, Marwa tasks NDLEA investigators
Oru Leonard
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), has charged investigators and prosecutors of the Agency to intensify efforts to trace, seize and recover the proceeds of narcotics trafficking.
Marwa said the fight against drug cartels could no longer be won through arrests and drug seizures alone, stressing the need to dismantle the financial structures that sustain organised criminal networks.
He gave the charge on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, while declaring open an Advanced Capacity Building Programme on Financial Investigations, Asset Tracing, Forfeiture, Recovery and Management of the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Narcotics Trafficking and Related Organised Crime in Abuja.
According to him, drug trafficking is fundamentally an economic enterprise sustained by financiers, facilitators, money launderers and professional enablers operating behind drug shipments.
Marwa warned that arresting couriers while leaving financiers untouched, or seizing drugs without recovering the proceeds of criminal activities, would amount to addressing only part of the problem.
He noted that criminal organisations were increasingly exploiting technology, cryptocurrencies, complex corporate structures and legitimate businesses to conceal the ownership and origins of illicit wealth.
The NDLEA chairman therefore urged investigators and prosecutors to develop the capacity to analyse complex financial transactions, trace assets across borders, establish beneficial ownership, exploit digital evidence and build strong financial cases capable of supporting forfeiture and recovery.
He said the Agency’s next imperative, following significant progress in narcotics seizures and prosecution of traffickers, was to dismantle the economic foundations of the drug trade and make trafficking a high-risk, low-profit enterprise.
Marwa called for stronger cooperation among the NDLEA’s intelligence, investigation, prosecution, forensics, asset and financial investigation directorates, stressing that they must operate as interconnected parts of a single enforcement chain.
He also advocated closer inter-agency collaboration, noting that no single institution possessed all the information, expertise and capacity required to effectively confront sophisticated criminal networks.
The NDLEA boss commended the calibre of resource persons participating in the programme, including Hon. Judge Michael Hopmeier, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Calvin Wilson, Jason Sandoval, Nick Francis, Fernandez Marcus-Obiene and Chioma Chikelu.
Representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), as well as Judges of the Federal High Court, also participated in the programme.
Marwa further stressed that asset recovery did not end with seizure or forfeiture, warning that poor management and lack of transparency could diminish the value of recovered assets and undermine public confidence.
He urged participants to ensure accountability throughout the process, from seizure and forfeiture to management and eventual realisation of recovered assets.
In his goodwill message delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, commended Marwa for the strides recorded by the NDLEA under his leadership.
Tsoho said stronger collaboration between the Federal High Court, NDLEA and other law enforcement agencies would help place Nigeria in a positive spotlight within the international community.
He described financial investigation, asset tracing, recovery and management of proceeds from narcotics trafficking and related crimes as critical areas requiring sophisticated and effective law enforcement responses.
The Chief Judge also noted the increasingly complex nature of drug crimes, including the use of cryptocurrency-enabled money laundering, stressing the need for institutions to continually strengthen their capacity to respond to emerging threats.
