NDLEA Has Transformed Nigeria’s Drug Control – Marwa Tells UN General Assembly

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has said the agency has delivered measurable results and transformed Nigeria’s drug control.

Naija News reports that Marwa made this known on Monday at the ongoing 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, with the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All”

Marwa, represented by the Agency’s Secretary, Shadrach Haruna, said that the NDLEA has evolved from a predominantly enforcement-focused organisation into an integrated, intelligence-led, people-centred body that brings together law enforcement, public health, technology, financial investigation, alternative livelihoods, and international cooperation to achieve amazing results.

Marwa said the shift was driven by a changing threat, noting that trafficking networks have become more sophisticated and technology has opened new channels for illicit activity and criminal proceeds.

According to him, between January 2025 and September 2026, the NDLEA recorded 38,242 arrests, seized more than 5.8 million kilograms of illicit drugs valued at over ₦2.5 trillion, and secured 6,232 convictions.

He also said that over the same period, more than 16,303 persons received counselling, treatment or rehabilitation, while prevention and sensitisation activities reached millions of Nigerians.

He said, “Trafficking networks have become more sophisticated, technology has opened new channels for illicit activity, criminal proceeds move rapidly across borders, and drug dependence continues to affect individuals, families and communities. Nigeria therefore broadened its focus from drugs and offenders alone to the criminal networks, illicit profits and vulnerabilities that sustain the drug economy.”

The NDLEA boss stressed that Nigeria’s emphasis is increasingly on dismantling major traffickers, organised structures and the financial networks behind the trade, rather than measuring performance solely by arrests and seizures.

He also highlighted the Alternative Development initiative, currently being piloted in three communities in Ondo State, where residents are being supported to transition from illicit cannabis cultivation to legitimate agricultural production.

Marwa cited the NDLEA’s Drug Integrity Test and Visa E-Administration System as examples of how digital tools can improve accessibility, efficiency, transparency, and integrity in public administration.

He told the Assembly that these reforms are being consolidated in the National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030, which covers six pillars: drug supply reduction; drug demand reduction; access to controlled medicines; governance and coordination; alternative development; and disruption of the illicit drug economy.

Marwa urged the international community to strengthen timely international intelligence-sharing so criminal networks cannot exploit gaps between jurisdictions, adding that Nigeria is ready to share lessons, learn from others, and work with Member States, the United Nations, and international partners to move from commitment to implementation, from cooperation to collective action, and from transformation to measurable delivery.