About two months to the end of his tenure, at least five contenders have reportedly joined the race to succeed the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.).
The development is unfolding as Marwa, a former Military Administrator of Lagos State, is reportedly lobbying for another five-year term.
Marwa, who is now 72 years old, was appointed NDLEA Chairman on January 17, 2021, by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
A top official in one of the security agencies, who confided in The PUNCH, said, “The tenure of Marwa will end in about two months, with stakeholders divided on whether he should be allowed a second term or not.
“So far, five people are aspiring to succeed him, including some retired military and police officers, security chiefs, and lawyers.
“Although Marwa is entitled to a second term, those after his job cited old age and President Bola Tinubu’s desire for reform in the agency for their aspiration.”
The identities of those jostling for Marwa’s position, however, were not disclosed when asked by The PUNCH.
Marwa’s recent visit to the Presidential Villa on Tuesday was reportedly part of ongoing efforts to secure a renewal of his appointment.
Some stakeholders opposed to his continuation as NDLEA Chairman have reportedly recommended him for an ambassadorial posting instead.
Three key factors cited for seeking Marwa’s replacement are his age, Tinubu’s ongoing reform agenda, and the preference for a seasoned law enforcement officer, either retired or still in active service, to head the agency.
The top security official told The PUNCH that the debate over Marwa’s reappointment was tied to wider justice sector reforms being championed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
“Among the agencies in the justice sector, only the NDLEA has not undergone restructuring,” another official familiar with the matter noted, adding that the President aims to strengthen the rule of law, human rights, and access to justice through reforms across institutions such as the NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, Code of Conduct Bureau, and Legal Aid Council.
The government official also hinted that intelligence assessments identified the NDLEA as needing “surgical reforms,” especially over alleged bureaucratic bottlenecks, promotion irregularities, and low prosecution rates.
“In spite of Marwa’s above-average performance, he has been seen as a lone ranger. The NDLEA bureaucracy is stifling the war against drugs,” one insider in the agency told The PUNCH.
Under Marwa’s leadership, the NDLEA reportedly arrested 31,675 drug offenders, with only 5,147 prosecuted and convicted, a figure the officials who spoke with The PUNCH considered too low compared to the scale of arrests.
“Marwa is also battling to stay on the job, at least to earn a second term.
“It was part of the lobbying that made him see the President on Tuesday. History is repeating itself. He was the one who handed over to President Tinubu when he was sworn in as Lagos State governor in 1999.
“He sees himself as more of a Lagosian and believes this connection may help his case,” the government official disclosed.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Wednesday on why prosecution was low, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, said little progress could be achieved because only vendors were being apprehended, adding that there must be a serious effort to track producers and distributors of hard drugs.
“We must move against the cultivation and distribution of these drugs — from their cultivation in Ondo, through the North Central, to Abuja.
“We should rather go after the barons, the dealers, and distributors, and ensure they are prosecuted. It is better to tackle the problem from the root by apprehending the barons,” he said.
He also called for advocacy and an “Operation Catch Them Young” campaign to curb the involvement of youths in drug trafficking and abuse, lamenting that many lives had been destroyed through substance addiction.
Since 2021, the NDLEA has intensified operations against drug cartels, traffickers, and producers across Nigeria, resulting in thousands of arrests and record seizures.
Between 2021 and 2024, the agency reportedly arrested over 31,000 suspects, seized more than 6,000 tonnes of illicit substances, and secured over 5,000 convictions in various courts.
These operations covered major drug hubs, including Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Edo, and Rivers States, with the agency targeting both street dealers and high-profile traffickers.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives have consistently raided storage warehouses and intercepted shipments of cocaine, tramadol, and methamphetamine.
A landmark operation in September 2022 led to the discovery of a 1.8-tonne cocaine warehouse in the Ikorodu area, one of the largest seizures in Nigerian history. In Kano, the agency dismantled several drug networks supplying narcotics to northern states, while in Abuja, surveillance around transport parks and hotels led to the arrest of multiple cross-country couriers.
The NDLEA also uncovered methamphetamine laboratories and large cannabis plantations in Ondo, Edo, and Delta states, as it destroyed over 600 hectares of cannabis farms and arrested several cultivators in 2023.
The agency’s renewed performance under Marwa also earned Nigeria commendation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for its record seizures and enforcement drive.
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