77,792 Arrested, 14,225 Convicted, 14.8m Kilograms Drugs Seized in 5 Years, Says Marwa

. Honours 166 NDLEA personnel, 17 Commands at bi-annual CCEO awards and commendation ceremony; charges officers to go all out against drug cartels, barons

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has declared that with an outstanding record of 77,792 arrests including 128 barons, 14,225 convictions and over 14.8 million kilograms of illicit substances seized in the past five years, the era of Nigeria serving as a safe haven for criminal drug enterprises is over.

Marwa stated this in his remarks at the 11th Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CCEO) Awards and Commendation ceremony held at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja where he charged NDLEA officers to brace up for more tactically sophisticated operations against drug cartels, barons and their mules in the next five years of his second tenure.

“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. Through our collective resilience, we have sent a clear message that Nigeria is no longer a safe haven for illicit drug enterprise.

“It’s therefore heartwarming to note that in the last five years, we recorded significant operational successes including the arrest of 77,792 drug offenders, including 128 identified drug barons who were central to major trafficking networks. We seized a total of 14,847,486.34 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs, thereby significantly disrupting both local and transnational supply chains.

“In further strengthening the criminal justice response to drug offences, the Agency successfully prosecuted and secured convictions against 14,225 offenders, reinforcing deterrence and affirming that drug crime attracts consequences.

“In line with our balanced approach, the Agency also prioritised drug demand reduction. Through structured treatment, counselling, and rehabilitation programmes, 32,442 drug users received professional intervention. Additionally, 13,735 War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities were conducted across schools, motor parks, workplaces, worship centres, and communities, expanding preventive awareness and citizen engagement nationwide”, he stated while highlighting the results of the last half-decade drug control efforts of the Agency under his leadership.

Noting that the achievements would not have been possible without the support of the executive, legislature and the judiciary, Marwa expressed his profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unflinching support and the trust reposed in his leadership. He said that 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. 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”, he stated.

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.

“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 every gram of illicit drugs is taken out of our streets and communities. There will be no retreat and no complacency.”

The 11th CCEO Awards honored gallant personnel who have demonstrated exceptional courage and integrity in the line of duty. Marwa charged the awardees to see their plaques and certificates as reminders that their hard work is valued, while urging the rest of the force to find inspiration in their achievements.

“As we are all aware, the Commands Awards and Commendations is an internal reward mechanism that comes after our bi-annual appraisal. It is enshrined in our corporate culture and acts as a booster to individual and collective commitment to the attainment of organisational goals. I believe that everyone in this organisation is in accord that we now have a sense of urgency towards our assignment.

“There is no gainsaying that our dedication to duty has been the driving force behind our good performance; at the same time, it is also not an exaggeration to say that our good performance is catalysed by motivation. As proven right by events in the past five years, management’s decision to deploy multipronged motivational mechanism to improve the organisation’s work ethic is part of the recipe for the resurgence of the Agency and the resultant spectacular performance. On that score, management is committed to doing everything possible to improve productivity on the job. Part of that effort is why we are here today.”

He equally acknowledged the critical role of international partners, sister agencies, civil society, and the media in the successes recorded so far, calling for even deeper strategic partnerships in the years ahead to protect the future of Nigerian children.