NDLEA Showcases Nigeria’s Drug Control Transformation at UN General Assembly
By Trek Africa Newspaper
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has showcased Nigeria’s transformation in drug control at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, highlighting significant enforcement achievements and calling for stronger international cooperation against illicit drug trafficking.
The agency also urged the international community to strengthen intelligence-sharing, intensify action against illicit financial networks and invest in institutions in developing countries to improve global drug control efforts.
According to a statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Nigeria presented its position during the Assembly’s proceedings on Monday, October 12, 2026, under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.”
The statement was presented by the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), who was represented by the agency’s Secretary, Shadrach Haruna.
Addressing the Assembly, Haruna said the NDLEA had evolved from a predominantly enforcement-focused organisation into an integrated, intelligence-led and people-centred institution combining law enforcement, public health, technology, financial investigations, alternative livelihoods and international cooperation.
He explained that the transformation was driven by the growing sophistication of drug trafficking networks, the use of technology to facilitate illicit activities, the rapid movement of criminal proceeds across borders and the continuing impact of drug dependence on individuals, families and communities.
According to him, Nigeria has consequently expanded its drug control strategy beyond the arrest of offenders and seizure of substances to tackling the criminal networks, illicit profits and vulnerabilities sustaining the drug economy.
The approach, he said, has yielded significant results in drug supply 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 ₦2.5 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 stressed that the agency was increasingly prioritising the dismantling of major trafficking networks, organised criminal structures and the financial systems supporting the illicit drug trade, rather than measuring success solely by arrests and seizures.
He also highlighted the NDLEA’s Alternative Development initiative, currently being piloted in three communities in Ondo State, where residents are being supported to abandon illicit cannabis cultivation in favour of legitimate agricultural production.
He noted that sustainable drug control required more than the removal of illicit crops, stressing the need to provide viable economic alternatives capable of strengthening food security, community resilience and national security.
The NDLEA chairman further cited the agency’s Drug Integrity Test and Visa E-Administration System as examples of how digital innovation could improve accessibility, efficiency, transparency and integrity in public service delivery.
He said the reforms were being consolidated under the National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030, which 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.
Emphasising that restoring trust requires tangible results while managing transformation demands strong partnerships, Nigeria called on the international community to strengthen timely intelligence-sharing to prevent criminal networks from exploiting gaps between jurisdictions.
The country also urged governments to intensify financial investigations, asset tracing and recovery to disrupt the illicit financial economy; expand prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration services; and increase support for alternative development programmes that provide sustainable livelihoods for communities abandoning illicit cultivation.
Nigeria further called for greater investment in the capacity development of law enforcement personnel to match the growing sophistication of drug cartels, alongside improved technology, forensic capabilities, treatment infrastructure, training and sustained technical assistance, particularly for developing countries.
Describing Nigeria’s experience as an ongoing journey rather than a finished model, the country reaffirmed its readiness to share lessons, learn from other nations and collaborate with UN member states and international partners.
It stressed the need to move from commitments to implementation, from cooperation to collective action, and from institutional transformation to measurable results in the global fight against illicit drugs.
