In a move signaling continuity in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking, President Bola Tinubu has reappointed Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retired) as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for a second five-year term.

The reappointment, announced in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on November 14, 2025, will see the former military governor remain at the helm of the anti-narcotics agency until 2031.

Marwa was first appointed to lead the NDLEA by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021. His initial tenure has been widely noted for a significant ramp-up in the agency’s activities.

In his statement, President Tinubu framed the reappointment as a “vote of confidence” in Marwa’s “onerous efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse.” The President urged him not to relent in “tracking the merchants of hard drugs, out to destroy our people, especially the young ones.”

Under Marwa’s leadership, the NDLEA has recorded a series of high-profile drug busts. Official statistics cited in the announcement noted the arrest of 73,000 suspected drug offenders and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of various illicit substances.

The agency has also intensified its public advocacy, launching nationwide campaigns to address the root causes of drug abuse within communities.

Before his role at the NDLEA, Marwa chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA). A seasoned administrator and retired military officer, he served as the Governor of both Lagos and Borno States and has a distinguished military career that included roles such as Aide-de-Camp to former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma. He holds postgraduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University.