The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has counselled and rehabilitated more than 54,000 drug users over the past five years, the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), announced on Friday.
Speaking in Benin at the second Regimental Sergeant Majors’ (RSMs) Convention, Marwa emphasized that substance dependence is a treatable health condition requiring medical intervention and strategic support rather than immediate dismissal.
Addressing the theme “Combating Drug Abuse and Substance Misuse in the Nigerian Army: The Role of RSMs in Prevention, Early Detection and Rehabilitation,” he urged military authorities to distinguish between drug traffickers and personnel struggling with addiction.
“A drug user is not automatically a criminal to be thrown away. In many cases, he is a sick man who needs help,” Marwa stated, stressing that drug misuse directly threatens combat readiness, unit cohesion, and operational effectiveness.
Highlighting enforcement milestones over the five-year period, Marwa disclosed that the agency has arrested over 76,000 suspects—including 250 drug barons—seized more than 16 million kilogrammes of illicit substances, destroyed over 2,000 hectares of cannabis farms, and secured 16,691 convictions.
He called for deeper collaboration between the military and anti-narcotics officers, offering the agency’s nationwide rehabilitation infrastructure and technical expertise to assist military welfare and medical personnel.
