The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has urged its personnel to sustain the fight against illicit drugs, describing the battle as a generational responsibility requiring resilience and long-term commitment.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), made the call in Abuja while honouring 274 personnel for outstanding performance.
The 12th Chairman/Chief Executive Officer’s Commendations and Awards ceremony also recognised 18 best-performing commands and 19 non-governmental and media organisations for their contributions to Nigeria’s campaign against drug abuse.
Marwa said the drug threat continued to evolve as trafficking networks developed new routes and methods to evade law enforcement.
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“The war against illicit drugs is not a campaign with an end date. It is a generational responsibility,” he said.
“For every cartel we dismantle, intelligence tells us another will attempt to rise. For every corridor we shut down, traffickers will search for another route,” he added.
The NDLEA chief said the persistent nature of drug trafficking required sustained commitment from the agency and its partners.
He stressed that enforcement alone could not defeat drug trafficking and substance abuse, noting the important roles played by civil society organisations and the media.
According to him, civil society groups contribute to preventing addiction and supporting vulnerable young people in communities, while journalists help draw public attention to trafficking routes, rehabilitation efforts and families rebuilding their lives after addiction.
“The fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse was never going to be won by enforcement alone,” Marwa said.
He described civil society and media organisations as having a multiplier effect on the agency’s efforts by taking anti-drug messages into homes, schools and communities.
Marwa cited recent operations, including the dismantling of the Amadi Simon drug cartel and the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartels operating in forests in Ogun and Oyo states.
He also highlighted the disruption of a tramadol cartel operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor, which he said had contributed to opioid abuse among Nigerian youths for years.
“These were not simple raids. They were the product of patient intelligence-gathering, cross-border cooperation, and officers willing to go where the criminals believed no one would follow,” he said.
Marwa urged the award recipients to see the recognition as a standard to emulate rather than a limit to their performance.
He also called on civil society organisations and media groups to regard the recognition as an invitation to deepen their efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
The NDLEA chairman congratulated all the recipients and thanked Nigerians for continuing to trust the agency as it confronts the country’s persistent drug trafficking and substance abuse challenges.
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