…urges parents, leaders to join fight as agency records major wins in war on drugs
By Nkechi Eze
The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has urged parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community heads to join forces with government agencies in tackling the rising scourge of drug abuse, cultism, and banditry among Nigerian youths.
Speaking on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at a seminar themed “Dangers of Drug Abuse, Cultism and Banditry Among Youths” organised by the Ijebu Ode Council of Olorituns in Ogun State, Marwa emphasised that the battle against these interlinked social vices requires collective responsibility. The seminar, attended by community leaders, youth groups, and public officials, was aimed at mobilising local action against what Marwa described as a “triple threat” of cult-related violence, rampant drug abuse, and the menace of banditry.
According to an official statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa warned that the three vices feed off each other in a destructive cycle that must be broken if Nigeria is to thrive. He noted that cultism, which once operated largely within tertiary institutions, has now infiltrated secondary schools and neighbourhoods, evolving into violent confraternities often driven by political and criminal interests. These groups, he said, lure young people under the guise of brotherhood and empowerment, only to lead them into a life of fear, violence, and premature death.
Quoting a projection from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Marwa revealed that drug use in Africa is expected to rise by 40 percent in the coming years. “When they say Africa, I want us to think of Nigeria, because Nigeria has one of the highest drug use prevalences in the world,” he said. He, however, stressed that the situation is reversible if stakeholders unite to take decisive action.
Marwa called for stronger family structures as the first point of moral guidance, safe and disciplined learning environments in schools, and increased investment in youth development through education, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, and sports. He warned that idle hands remain vulnerable to recruitment by cults and drug peddlers, while communities that provide purpose and opportunity for their young people reduce the appeal of such vices.
Highlighting the NDLEA’s recent efforts, Marwa disclosed that in the past 54 months the agency has arrested 67,345 traffickers, including 95 drug barons, with 12,415 of them already serving jail terms. He noted that those arrested include prominent businesspeople, socialites with chieftaincy titles, and even government officials responsible for maintaining law and order. In the same period, the NDLEA has seized more than 11.2 million kilograms of illicit drugs and destroyed 1,572 hectares of cannabis farms, mostly in the South-West, where fertile land is being diverted from legitimate agriculture to illicit cultivation.
On the demand-reduction front, Marwa said the agency has carried out 11,584 sensitisation lectures in schools, workplaces, worship centres, motor parks, and palaces of traditional rulers. It has also treated and rehabilitated 27,187 drug users through 30 facilities nationwide, while thousands more have received psychosocial support via the agency’s toll-free helpline. He urged communities to partner with the NDLEA, report suspicious activities, and support advocacy drives.
Marwa also called for strengthened grassroots security, recommending that properly trained and coordinated local vigilante groups work closely with law enforcement to detect and disrupt cult gatherings. He stressed the need to revive the moral and spiritual fabric of society, reminding young people that the path to greatness is built on hard work, learning, and integrity, not violence and drugs.
Commending the Ijebu Ode Council of Olorituns for hosting the seminar, Marwa said their initiative should be replicated across the country as a step towards rescuing children, securing communities, and restoring national values.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the Council, Chief Adebisi Adeola Alausa, thanked Marwa for honouring the invitation, noting that the gathering reflected a shared commitment to protecting the future of the community and the nation. Chairman of the occasion, Senator Lekan Mustapha, described Marwa as a visionary leader whose achievements as military governor of Borno and Lagos States, and later as head of the NDLEA, have earned both local and international recognition.
During his visit to Ijebu Ode, Marwa also paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Awujale of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, further underscoring the communal dimension of his engagement in the town.
