Drug War: NDLEA Honours 274 Personnel, 18 Commands

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has honoured 274 personnel, 18 best-performing commands and 19 civil society and media organisations for their outstanding contributions to the fight against illicit drugs and substance abuse in Nigeria.

The chairman/chief executive officer of the agency, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), presented the awards yesterday at the 12th Chairman/CEO’s Commendations and Awards held at the NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja.

Marwa, who commended the award recipients, charged NDLEA officers and personnel to remain resilient and committed, describing the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse as a generational task that requires sustained determination.

He said the drug war was not a campaign that could be concluded within a specific period because criminal networks continuously evolve and seek new routes and methods to evade law enforcement.
According to him, “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.”

The NDLEA boss stressed that the agency’s successes were not achieved through enforcement alone, noting that civil society organisations and the media had played a crucial role in extending the anti-drug campaign into communities across the country.

According to him, NGOs have continued to work at the grassroots level to help vulnerable young people overcome addiction, while journalists have brought public attention to drug trafficking, rehabilitation and the experiences of families affected by substance abuse.

He described the contribution of the media and civil society as a “multiplier effect” on the agency’s work.

“You have taken our message into homes, schools, and communities that our uniforms alone could never reach,” Marwa said.

Highlighting recent successes recorded by the agency, he cited the dismantling of the Amadi Simon drug cartel, the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartels operating in forests in Ogun and Oyo states, and the disruption of a tramadol cartel operating along the Togo–Benin Republic–Nigeria corridor.

Marwa said the operations demonstrated the level of intelligence, international cooperation and courage required to confront increasingly sophisticated drug trafficking networks.