NDLEA records 77, 859 arrests in 4 years, including 240 high profile drug barons
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it made a total of 77,859 arrests from Jan. 2021 to Dec. 2025 including 240 high profile drug barons who once believed they were untouchable.
The Chairman and Chief Executive, NDLEA, retired Brig.Gen Buba Marwa, stated this at the Launch of the Campaign Against Drug Abuse and the Signing of the Executive Orders on the Establishment of the Jigawa State Task Force on Drug Abuse Control and Mass Mobilization for Social Reorientation, held at the Government House, Dutse.
“Between January 2021 and December 2025, our balanced approach has yielded unprecedented results. Within this period, we recorded 77,859 arrests, including 240 high-profile drug barons who once believed they were untouchable.
“You may recall that barely two months ago, we dismantled a methamphetamine laboratory valued at 362 million United States dollars. The estimated street value of the drugs seized was approximately ₦480 billion,” Marwa said.
He said that the agency also seized 14.8 million kilograms of illicit substances and secured the conviction of 14,122 offenders during the period.
“We arrested three Mexican nationals along with their Nigerian collaborators.
“In fact, Your Excellency, as I speak today, the court is sitting at the actual laboratory site in the bush to hear the case. It is quite significant that the judge insisted on conducting proceedings at the location where the illegal laboratory was discovered.
“Within the same period, we also seized 14.8 million kilograms of illicit substances and secured the conviction of 14,122 offenders.
“The era of impunity is over.
“Anyone who believes Nigeria can be used as a transit point or operational base for the illicit drug trade must understand that they will have to contend with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency,” Marwa said.
He said that over 50,000 drug users were also counselled and rehabilitated during the period.
“In the same vein, over 50,000 individuals have received counselling and rehabilitation services across our 31 treatment centres nationwide, including the one here in Dutse.
“Through our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, we have not only cleared the streets of illicit drugs, but we have also worked to clear minds by reaching millions of Nigerians with the message of prevention,” Marwa said.
He said that Jigawa State was among the least in the country in terms of drug abuse.
“The National Drug Use Survey of 2018, jointly conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Federal Government of Nigeria, remains the latest comprehensive survey available.
“According to the survey, the North-West geopolitical zone has a drug use prevalence rate of approximately 12 per cent.
“Jigawa State, however, stands at 7 per cent, making it one of the states with the lowest prevalence rates in the country.
“For comparison, Lagos State recorded a prevalence rate of approximately 33 per cent among persons aged 15 to 64 years.
“The fact that Jigawa stands at 7 per cent is encouraging, and it is a testament to the efforts already being made in the State,” he said.
Marwa lauded the state governor for his preemptive intervention on drug abuse in the state. 
“We are particularly encouraged that His Excellency the Governor is determined to reduce that figure even further—hopefully to zero, if possible.
“This Task Force is therefore a pre-emptive intervention. Its purpose is to ensure that the current prevalence rate does not increase but instead continues to decline.
“We are here today to protect what I call the Jigawa Advantage.
“The NDLEA Jigawa State Command will serve as the heartbeat of this Task Force by providing the intelligence, technical expertise and operational capacity required for its success.
“The Coordinator is well acquainted with the provisions of the NDLEA Act and will therefore ensure that there is no conflict of responsibilities among the various stakeholders.
“Furthermore, the National Headquarters of the NDLEA will provide the necessary strategic guidance and policy framework to ensure that the State’s efforts remain aligned with global best practices,” Marwa said.
He added: “What is even more gratifying is that, as someone who also proudly considers himself part and parcel of Jigawa State, I will personally pay special attention to the progress of this initiative.
“To the members of this Task Force, you are the guardians of your communities.Your mandate is both important and demanding.
“I therefore urge you to localise the solution by using credible data to identify the drug abuse hotspots that are unique to Jigawa State.
“Destigmatise treatment by ensuring that those seeking help are received with compassion, while those who traffic and distribute illicit drugs are met with the full weight of the law.
“We also continue to appeal to parents, guardians and community members to report drug abuse cases early so that timely intervention can take place before the problem develops into something far more dangerous.Illicit drug use does not merely damage health.
It destroys lives.
“It gradually takes over the brain, alters behaviour and eventually affects an individual’s ability to function as a responsible member of society.
“Many cases that could have been addressed at an early stage are often allowed to deteriorate until they become major threats to families and society at large.
“This is why the work of this Task Force is so important. You must actively engage communities by working closely with our traditional rulers and religious leaders, who remain the custodians of our values and moral heritage.
“Together, we must build a strong wall of resistance against drug abuse.
“I am also proud of the self-help efforts being undertaken by several non-governmental organisations from Jigawa State.
“Some of them have visited me in Abuja, where we discussed practical ways through which the NDLEA can support their activities.
“Their willingness to voluntarily mobilise themselves in the fight against substance abuse is a very welcome development.
“It is encouraging to see civil society organisations taking ownership of this challenge and joining hands to eradicate this menace.The fight against substance abuse is a marathon; it is not a sprint.
“However, with the political will demonstrated today by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Jigawa State, and the commitment of this newly inaugurated Task Force, I am confident that victory is not only possible—it is inevitable.”
