NDLEA boss urges global unity against drug cartels
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has called on the international community to unite against transnational criminal drug networks threatening global stability.
Marwa made the appeal while addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Plenary Session of the Third Committee held in New York, United States.
In a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Marwa warned that illicit drug trade continued to endanger peace, security, and the collective future of nations.
“The world can no longer be held hostage by drug cartels. We must stand together, resolute and united, to dismantle the networks threatening our collective future,” Marwa told the UN delegates.
He stressed that Nigeria prioritised international cooperation and intelligence sharing, citing signed memoranda of understanding with multiple countries and partnerships with the UNODC, EU, DEA, INL, NCA, BKA, among others.
These collaborations, Marwa said, had resulted in major drug seizures, arrests of high-profile traffickers, and successful prosecutions, all conducted with full respect for human rights and due process.
He commended the UNGA for recognising the global and multidimensional nature of drug challenges, urging collective and coordinated international action to effectively tackle the crisis.
Marwa noted that Nigeria was already implementing evidence-based strategies to curb drug abuse, including tightened controls against money laundering from drug proceeds and expanded treatment access for drug-dependent individuals.
“Through rehabilitation centres, opioid substitution therapy, and safer needle exchange programmes, we’re addressing both public health and security aspects of drug abuse,” he stated.
Highlighting cannabis as the most abused drug in Nigeria, Marwa said the NDLEA was promoting the Alternative Development Programme to replace illicit cultivation with legitimate, sustainable livelihoods.
“This programme supports food security and environmental protection by engaging affected communities to grow legal crops instead of cannabis,” he explained.
The NDLEA boss also underscored the role of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative in mobilising communities and raising awareness through nationwide education and sensitisation campaigns.
He said Nigeria was confronting emerging threats such as new psychoactive substances and the use of the Dark Web for trafficking dangerous drugs and chemicals.
Marwa disclosed that efforts to combat methamphetamine production included cracking down on precursor chemical diversion and dismantling hidden laboratories across the country.
He added that Nigeria’s National Drug Control Master Plan had improved stakeholder collaboration and produced measurable results in drug prevention and control efforts.
To promote social justice, Marwa said Nigeria ran a 24/7 toll-free drug call centre offering multilingual professional counseling, helping to bridge treatment gaps and reduce stigma associated with drug use.
