NDLEA Chairman highlights interdiction successes, rehabilitation initiatives, and civil society support at SAEMA 2025
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), Chairman and CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has urged all stakeholders to treat the fight against illicit drugs, substance abuse, and social vices as a shared responsibility. He made the remarks during his keynote address at the 7th Security and Emergency Management Awards and Conference (SAEMA 2025), held at NDLEA headquarters on Wednesday.
Marwa outlined NDLEA’s two pronged strategy of Supply Reduction and Demand Reduction, stressing the importance of balancing enforcement with treatment and prevention. He revealed that in the first 10 months of 2025, the Agency recorded 16,304 arrests, secured around 3,000 convictions, seized 4.5 million kilograms of illicit drugs, and destroyed 612.2864 hectares of cannabis farms, highlighting officers’ dedication across borders, airports, seaports, and forests.
On demand reduction, Marwa highlighted the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, a nationwide outreach initiative aimed at educating citizens about the dangers of drug use. In 2025 alone, NDLEA conducted 3,765 WADA activities in schools, markets, religious centres, and communities. The Agency also runs 30 rehabilitation centres offering treatment, counselling, and reintegration support, reinforcing the principle that reducing demand is critical to cutting supply.
He commended the organisers of SAEMA 2025, Image Merchants Promotion Limited, the Centre for Crisis Communication, CISLAC, and the International Emergency Management Society for choosing NDLEA to host the event and for recognising institutions and individuals committed to national security. He also praised the conference theme: “Drug Control and National Security: Innovations for a Safer Tomorrow.”
CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, lauded Marwa’s leadership and NDLEA’s impact, describing the Agency’s daily efforts as vital to protecting youths and strengthening national security. He acknowledged the sacrifices of security personnel and pledged ongoing civil society support. Other speakers, including Gen. Chris Olukolade (rtd), Prof. Sule Yau Sule, and Yushau Shuaib, also commended NDLEA’s contributions. The event included the public presentation of Anti-Drug, Anti-Smuggling Campaigns: A Corpers’ Chronicle, authored by Youth Corps members Arafat Abdulrazaq and Tahir Ahmad.
The ceremony climaxed with awards recognising excellence in the field. Marwa received the Outstanding Personality of the Year, while NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, was named Outstanding Crisis Communicator of the Year. Other honoured institutions included the Nigerian Army, Air Force, DSS, EFCC, ICPC, and the Nigerian Correctional Service.
