Drug War Is a Generational Task, Marwa Charges NDLEA Officers

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has urged officers 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 NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja, where 274 personnel, 18 best-performing commands and 19 non-governmental organisations and media platforms were honoured for their contributions to the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

According to Marwa, the persistent nature of the drug problem requires sustained commitment from officers and stakeholders, as criminal networks continue to evolve in response to enforcement operations.

“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,” he said.

The NDLEA chairman stressed that enforcement alone could not defeat drug trafficking and substance abuse, noting the important roles being played by civil society organisations and the media in prevention, rehabilitation and public awareness.

Read Also: NDLEA Intercepts Tramadol Hidden In Black Soap Bound For UK

“The fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse was never going to be won by enforcement alone. It is won in the communities where NGOs quietly walk young people back from the edge of addiction. It is won in the newsrooms where journalists chose to tell the difficult stories, the stories of trafficking routes, of rehabilitation, of families rebuilding, even when those stories were not the easiest to tell. 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,” Marwa said.

He said the 274 personnel receiving commendations represented the dedication of officers who had distinguished themselves in the discharge of their responsibilities, while the 18 recognised commands were acknowledged for their operational performances.

Marwa also recognised 19 NGOs and media organisations for their contributions to the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign, saying their efforts had helped take the anti-drug message beyond the agency’s traditional enforcement activities.

He acknowledged that several other organisations and media platforms across the country were also making significant contributions, describing the awards as the beginning of a continuing tradition of recognising those advancing the campaign.

“The beginning of a tradition, not a closed chapter,” he said, assuring that subsequent editions would provide opportunities to identify and honour more individuals and organisations contributing to the fight.

Highlighting some of the NDLEA’s recent operations, Marwa cited the dismantling of the Amadi Simon drug cartel, the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartels operating from forests in Ogun and Oyo States, and the disruption of a tramadol cartel using the Togo–Benin Republic–Nigeria corridor.

He said the corridor had for years contributed to the supply of opioids fuelling substance abuse among Nigerian youths.

“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 NDLEA personnel to regard the award recipients as examples to emulate and challenged them to maintain the standards that earned their colleagues recognition.

Marwa similarly called on civil society organisations and media partners to see the recognition as an encouragement to intensify their efforts rather than as a reason to relent.

He congratulated all recipients of the awards and commendations and expressed appreciation to their families and Nigerians for their continued confidence in the agency.