NDLEA arrested 77,792 drug offenders, secured 14,225 convictions in five years – Marwa
Buba Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says 77,792 drug offenders, including 128 identified barons who were central to major illicit drugs trafficking networks were arrested in five years.
Speaking at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday at the 11th CCEO’s awards and commendations ceremony, Marwa said the era of Nigeria serving as a safe haven for criminal drug enterprises is over.
He said the agency received a total of 14,847,000 kilograms of illicit assault drugs, thereby significantly disrupting both local and transnational supply chains and further strengthening the criminal justice response to drug offenses.
He added the agency also prosecuted and secured convictions against 14,225 offenders, reinforcing deterrence and affirming that drug crime attracts consequences.
“When I first resumed in 2021, I promised to take the fight to the doorsteps of the merchants of death. Today, the numbers speak for themselves,” Marwa said.
He said the agency has “sent a clear message that Nigeria is no longer a safe haven for illicit drug enterprises. ”.
“And only last week, we finally arrested, as you all know, a fugitive drug dealer who masterminded the killing of three of our brave personnel 12 years ago.
“Similarly, another fugitive who committed drug crimes in South Korea was arrested, tried, convicted, and served a jail term in South Korea, deported back to Nigeria 17 or 18 years ago, and went right back to the habit, in fact, strengthening it across other South African nations.
“For seventeen years he was on it until we finally arrested him, and his trial is ongoing. To anyone who thinks he has escaped justice has to think again, because we will get him or her, no matter how long it takes.”
Marwa, who has just completed his first five-year tenure, noted that the achievements would not have been possible without the support of the executive, legislature and the judiciary.
He expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his unflinching support and the trust reposed in his leadership.
He said the president’s decision to extend the current leadership’s mandate is a call to escalate the war against drug abuse and trafficking to new heights.
“These achievements are not accidental. They are the result of discipline, leadership, intelligence-led operations, and clear performance expectations,” he said.
“This journey would not have been possible without the unflinching support of the President. I therefore wish to express my profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the absolute trust he has reposed in my leadership and in the entire workforce of this agency.
“Mr. President’s decision to extend our mandate is a call to more work. We assure him, and indeed all Nigerians, that the successes of the past five years are merely a foundation.
“In this second tenure, we will escalate the war against drug abuse and trafficking to new heights of efficiency and results.”
Addressing the officers, men, and women of the agency, Marwa said, “the next phase of our operations demands even more grit and more tactical sophistication.”
“We will not rest until every drug baron is behind bars, every trafficker is intercepted, every mule is caught, and every single gram of illicit drug is removed from our streets and communities,” he added.
“There is no room for complacency. We must remain proactive, intelligence-led, and ruthless in our pursuit of those who seek to destroy our youth and our national security.
“Let me be clear: the objective of this agency remains the total disruption of drug trafficking and the protection of our communities.
“The expectation is sustained pressure until every drug baron, trafficker, courier, and gram of illicit drugs is taken out of our streets and communities. There will be no retreat and no complacency.”
