Drug war, generational task, Marwa charges NDLEA officers

By Adebola Muili

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has charged officers and men of the agency to remain resilient in 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 agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.

At the ceremony, 274 NDLEA personnel were honoured for outstanding performance, while 18 best-performing commands and 19 non-governmental organisations and media organisations were recognised for their contributions to the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign.

Marwa, according to a statement issued by the agency, said the persistent nature of the drug challenge required sustained commitment from personnel, stressing that the fight against illicit drugs could not be treated as a campaign with an end date.

He said, “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.”

The NDLEA boss also emphasised that the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse could not be won through enforcement alone, stressing the importance of civil society organisations and the media in tackling the menace.

He said NGOs play a critical role in communities by helping young people struggling with addiction, while journalists have continued to tell stories about trafficking, rehabilitation and families rebuilding their lives.

“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,” he said.

Marwa highlighted some of the agency’s recent major operations, 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 operations demonstrated the level of intelligence, cooperation and courage required to confront drug trafficking networks.

“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,” Marwa said.

He urged the award recipients to see the recognition as a standard to strive towards rather than a ceiling, while encouraging the agency’s civil society and media partners to regard the honour as an invitation to do more in the collective fight against drug abuse.

Marwa congratulated all the recipients and appreciated their families, as well as Nigerians, for continuing to place their trust in the agency.