President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term.
Marwa was first appointed to the position in January 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, following his earlier role as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse (2018–2020). His renewed tenure means he will continue leading the NDLEA until 2031.
A distinguished military officer from Adamawa State, Marwa is an alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973, he went on to hold several strategic positions, including Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then–Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and Academic Registrar of the NDA.
He also served internationally as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa holds two postgraduate degrees:
- Master of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh (1983–1985)
- Master of Public Administration, Harvard University (1985–1986)
His leadership at the NDLEA has been marked by extensive enforcement breakthroughs, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug offenders, among them major traffickers, and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illicit substances. He has also overseen major national advocacy campaigns aimed at tackling drug abuse.
In his message of approval, President Tinubu praised Marwa’s achievements and urged him to intensify efforts against drug trafficking and abuse, saying:
“Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your dedicated 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 determined to destroy our people, especially the young ones.”
