• Agency reports 38,242 arrests, 5.8mkg drug seizures, 6,232 convictions in 21 months
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Nigeria has called for stronger international intelligence-sharing, intensified action against illicit financial networks and increased investment in drug-control institutions in developing countries, warning that criminal organisations are exploiting gaps between jurisdictions to expand the global drug trade.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made the call at the ongoing 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where it presented Nigeria’s evolving drug-control system as an example of how institutions can adapt to increasingly sophisticated criminal threats.
The agency’s position formed part of Nigeria’s statement under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.”
The statement was delivered on Monday by the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), who was represented by the agency’s Secretary, Shadrach Haruna.
Marwa told the Assembly that the NDLEA had moved beyond a predominantly enforcement-driven model to become an integrated, intelligence-led and people-centred institution combining law enforcement, public health, technology, financial investigation, alternative livelihoods and international cooperation.
He said the transformation was necessary because the nature of the drug threat had changed dramatically.
“Trafficking networks have become more sophisticated, technology has opened new channels for illicit activity, criminal proceeds move rapidly across borders, and drug dependence continues to affect individuals, families and communities,” he said.
“Nigeria therefore broadened its focus from drugs and offenders alone to the criminal networks, illicit profits and vulnerabilities that sustain the drug economy.”
The agency said the new approach had produced significant results in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction.
Between January 2025 and September 2026, the NDLEA recorded 38,242 arrests, seized more than 5.8 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs valued at over N2.5 trillion and secured 6,232 convictions.
During the same period, more than 16,303 people received counselling, treatment or rehabilitation, while prevention and sensitisation campaigns reached millions of Nigerians.
Marwa, however, stressed that the agency’s performance could no longer be measured solely by the number of arrests made or drug consignments seized.
He said the NDLEA was increasingly focused on dismantling major trafficking organisations, disrupting organised criminal structures and tracing the financial networks that sustain the illicit drug economy.
“The real measure of success is not only the volume of drugs seized or the number of arrests made, but the extent to which we dismantle the structures, profits and vulnerabilities that sustain the trade,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman also highlighted Nigeria’s Alternative Development initiative, which is being piloted in three communities in Ondo State.
The programme is designed to help residents move away from illicit cannabis cultivation and adopt legitimate agricultural production.
Marwa said the initiative reflected the agency’s recognition that drug control could not succeed through enforcement alone.
“Sustainable drug control requires more than removing an illicit crop. It requires credible economic alternatives that strengthen food security, community resilience and national security,” he said.
He also cited the NDLEA’s Drug Integrity Test and Visa E-Administration System as examples of how digital technology could improve accessibility, efficiency, transparency and integrity in public administration.
According to him, the reforms are being consolidated under the National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030.
The plan is built around six pillars: drug supply reduction; drug demand reduction; access to controlled medicines; governance and coordination; alternative development; and disruption of the illicit drug economy.
Nigeria urged member states to strengthen timely and reliable international intelligence-sharing, warning that delays and information gaps were enabling trafficking networks to move drugs, money and personnel across borders with increasing ease.
It also called for intensified action against the illicit financial economy through financial investigation, asset tracing and asset recovery.
The country further urged governments and international partners to expand prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes alongside enforcement measures.
It called for greater support for Alternative Development initiatives to ensure that communities abandoning illicit cultivation had sustainable and legitimate sources of income.
Nigeria also appealed for increased investment in the capacity of law enforcement agencies, noting that drug cartels were deploying increasingly sophisticated technology, logistics and financial systems.
The country urged the international community to invest in institutions responsible for drug control, particularly in developing countries, through technology, specialised training, forensic capabilities, treatment infrastructure and sustained technical assistance.
Marwa described Nigeria’s experience as an ongoing process rather than a finished model, saying the country remained willing to share its lessons, learn from other nations and deepen cooperation with member states, the United Nations and international partners.
He said the ultimate objective was to translate international commitments into practical results.
“Our objective is to move from commitment to implementation, from cooperation to collective action and from transformation to measurable delivery,” he said.
The NDLEA said Nigeria’s experience demonstrated that effective drug control required a coordinated response that combined enforcement with public health, economic empowerment, technology, financial intelligence and international cooperation.
It warned that without such a comprehensive approach, criminal networks would continue to exploit vulnerable communities, weak institutions and jurisdictional gaps to expand the illicit drug economy.