President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term, extending his leadership of the agency until 2031.

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

The Adamawa-born retired military officer and former military governor of Lagos and Borno States is a distinguished graduate of both the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973, he went on to hold several strategic positions, including Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Army Staff, and Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC. He later served as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Marwa also holds two advanced degrees: a Master of Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.

His tenure at the NDLEA has been defined by an aggressive crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse, leading to the arrest of over 73,000 drug barons and couriers, and the seizure of more than 15 million kilogrammes of assorted hard drugs. The agency has also launched sustained nationwide campaigns against drug abuse under his leadership.

President Tinubu, while confirming the renewal, described Marwa’s reappointment as a vote of confidence in his determined efforts to rid Nigeria of drug trafficking and the scourge of substance abuse. He urged the NDLEA Chairman to remain relentless in the fight against drug merchants seeking to harm Nigerians, especially the youth.