President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.) as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), extending his leadership of the agency for an additional five-year term.
Marwa, who first assumed the role in January 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has been credited with spearheading major reforms and intensifying Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
The announcement was made in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media, Bayo Onanuga, who noted that the renewed mandate will see the Adamawa-born retired military officer remain in office until 2031.
A seasoned soldier and administrator, Marwa previously served as military governor of Lagos and Borno States. He is an alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973.
His career includes key military postings such as Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and Registrar of the NDA. He later held strategic diplomatic positions as Deputy Defence Adviser at Nigeria’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa also holds postgraduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University, specialising in public administration and international affairs.
Under his stewardship, the NDLEA has recorded significant achievements, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illicit substances. The agency has also expanded its preventive campaigns against drug abuse nationwide.
In his congratulatory message, President Tinubu praised Marwa’s performance and urged him to intensify efforts in curbing drug-related crimes.
“Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your onerous efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. I urge you not to relent in tracking the merchants of hard drugs who are out to destroy our people, especially the young ones,” Tinubu said.
