JUST IN: Tinubu Extends Marwa’s Tenure as NDLEA Chairman for Five More Years

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for an additional five-year term, keeping the Adamawa-born former military officer at the helm until 2031.

Marwa was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021, after serving as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 to 2020.

A former military governor of Lagos and Borno States, Marwa is an alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). Following his commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1973, he served in several key roles, including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and academic registrar at the NDA. He also held diplomatic posts as Deputy Defence Adviser in Washington, D.C., and Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations.

Marwa holds two postgraduate degrees: a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh (1983–85) and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (1985–86).

Under his leadership, the NDLEA has made significant strides, including the arrest of over 73,000 drug mules and barons and the seizure of more than 15 million kilogrammes of hard drugs. The agency has also intensified nationwide campaigns to curb drug abuse among Nigerians.

President Tinubu commended Marwa’s efforts, saying, “Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your onerous efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. I urge you not to relent in tracking the merchants of hard drugs, out to destroy our people, especially the young ones.”

This reappointment signals continuity in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse, reinforcing Marwa’s position as one of Nigeria’s most experienced leaders in anti-narcotics enforcement.