Marwa: Drug War Is a Generational Task, NDLEA Officers Must Remain Resilient
Oru Leonard
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), has charged personnel of the agency to remain resilient and committed to the fight against illicit drugs, describing the battle as a generational responsibility.
Marwa gave the charge on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the 12th Chairman/Chief Executive Officer’s Commendations and Awards ceremony held at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja.
The ceremony saw the recognition of 274 outstanding personnel, 18 best-performing commands, as well as 19 non-governmental organisations and media platforms for their contributions to the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Nigeria.
Marwa said the persistent and evolving nature of the drug trade requires sustained vigilance, determination and innovation from officers of the agency.
“The war against illicit drugs is not a campaign with an end date. It is a generational responsibility. For every cartel we dismantle, intelligence tells us another will attempt to rise. For every corridor we shut down, traffickers will search for another route,” he said.
The NDLEA boss stressed that the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse cannot be won through enforcement alone, noting that civil society organisations and the media play critical roles in prevention, rehabilitation, advocacy and public awareness.
He commended NGOs for their grassroots interventions, particularly efforts aimed at helping young people overcome addiction, while praising journalists for bringing attention to trafficking networks, rehabilitation efforts and the experiences of families affected by substance abuse.
“Our partners in civil society and the media have been the multiplier effect on everything this Agency does. You have taken our message into homes, schools, and communities that our uniforms alone could never reach,” Marwa said.
He explained that the recognition of the 19 NGOs and media organisations was not intended to suggest that they were the only organisations making contributions to the anti-drug campaign across Nigeria.
According to him, the awards represent “the beginning of a tradition, not a closed chapter,” assuring that future editions would provide opportunities to identify and honour more individuals and organisations contributing to the campaign.
Marwa also highlighted some recent major operations undertaken by the agency, including the dismantling of the Amadi Simon drug cartel, the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartels operating in forests in Ogun and Oyo States, and the disruption of a tramadol cartel exploiting the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
He said the corridor had for years contributed to the opioid abuse crisis among Nigerian youths.
“These were not simple raids. They were the product of patient intelligence-gathering, cross-border cooperation, and officers willing to go where the criminals believed no one would follow,” he stated.
The NDLEA chairman urged officers to regard the award recipients as examples to emulate rather than as a ceiling on their own achievements.
He similarly encouraged civil society groups and media partners to see the recognition as an invitation to deepen their contributions to the anti-drug campaign rather than a reward to rest on.
Marwa congratulated all recipients of the commendations and awards and expressed appreciation to their families for their support, as well as Nigerians for continuing to place their trust in the agency.
