The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, has warned drug barons, traffickers, and their cartels to abandon the illicit drug trade or face even tougher measures during his second tenure.
Marwa issued the warning while addressing jubilant management staff and personnel who gathered to welcome him at the agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja.
Politics Nigeria earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu reappointed Marwa on Friday for another five-year term.
In a statement on Saturday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi quoted Marwa as saying that his next tenure “will be hell and bleak” for anyone who refuses to quit the illegal drug business.
He expressed gratitude to the president for recognising the agency’s efforts in combating substance abuse and drug trafficking.
Marwa said, “I did not expect to return from Juma’at service to meet this level of celebration from our personnel. Thank you. We thank Almighty God for everything. We appreciate the President and Commander-in-Chief for acknowledging our collective work and giving us a renewed mandate to continue the war against drug abuse and trafficking.
“I also thank the management, officers, and men and women of the agency who tirelessly serve the nation despite the risks involved.”
Marwa sent a clear message to drug cartels, “They have not seen anything yet. This second tenure will be hell for them. Drugs will not pass—whether in, out, or within Nigeria.”
He reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to fulfilling President Tinubu’s directive and working strictly in line with the agency’s Act.
Marwa urged those involved in illicit drugs, including cannabis growers, to seek alternative livelihoods. He noted that the NDLEA’s Alternative Development Unit was created to support individuals willing to transition to legitimate crop cultivation.
“But those who refuse should be assured: NDLEA is ready. You will be arrested, your drugs seized, and your assets confiscated. When you come out of jail, nothing will be left,” he warned.
He also pledged continued focus on drug-demand reduction through prevention, sensitisation, counselling, treatment, and rehabilitation. The NDLEA currently operates 30 rehabilitation centres, with plans for seven more under the 2025 budget to ensure each state has its own, alongside zonal centres.