Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has vowed that his second term in office will bring an intensified crackdown on drug barons and trafficking networks across the country. Marwa, reappointed by President Bola Tinubu for another five-year term, told jubilant staff at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja that traffickers should expect no respite.

President Tinubu Reappoints Buba Marwa as NDLEA Chairman.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for another five-year term.

The announcement was made on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.

Marwa, first appointed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021, previously served as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020. His renewed tenure means he will lead the NDLEA until 2031.

An Adamawa-born retired military officer, Marwa is a former military governor of Lagos and Borno States and an alumnus of both the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973, he held several key roles, including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and academic registrar of the NDA. He also served as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC, and later as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

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

His time at the NDLEA has been marked by major successes, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illicit substances.

The agency has also intensified nationwide campaigns against drug abuse under his leadership.

President Tinubu praised Marwa’s achievements, describing his reappointment as a vote of confidence and urging him to continue pursuing drug cartels and traffickers seeking to endanger Nigerians, especially the youth.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a notorious drug lord, 40-year-old Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. The arrest capped months of intensive surveillance on his illicit operations.

Drug Kingpin Arrested at Lagos Airport While Attempting Umrah Trip, NDLEA Seizes 148.3KG of Colos.

Operatives of the National drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested 40-year-old wanted drug baron, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, while he was attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.

According to the NDLEA, the arrest followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on his activities. 

Azeez, who was previously arrested in the United Kingdom for drug-related offences, reportedly jumped bail and fled to Nigeria, where he later set up a large clandestine drug laboratory in the Lekki area of Lagos for the production of “colorado,” a dangerous synthetic strain of cannabis, along with other illicit substances.

He was apprehended around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, 6th November 2025, just before boarding his flight. 

NDLEA operatives then led him to his operational base at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, which had already been under monitoring. At the lab, officers also arrested another suspect, 43-year-old Abideen Kekere-Ekun.

A search of the facility led to the dismantling of the production equipment and the seizure of precursor chemicals and finished drugs, including colorado weighing a total of 148.3 kilograms.

The agency says investigations are ongoing, and further charges will be filed accordingly.

Pretty Mike Granted N50m Bail Over Alleged Drug-Related Offences.

Popular Lagos socialite and nightclub owner, Mike Nwalie, popularly known as Pretty Mike, has been granted N50 million bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos after being arraigned on alleged drug-related offences.

Nwalie, who owns Proxy Lagos Night Club, was arraigned alongside the club’s supervisor, Joachim Hillary (32), by the Federal Government through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). They were charged with conspiracy, unlawful possession, and allowing the nightclub premises to be used for illegal drug activities.

According to NDLEA prosecutor Buhari Abdullahi, the alleged offences occurred on October 26, 2025, at the club located at No. 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The agency claimed the duo conspired to organize a drug party at the venue.

During a follow-up raid, officers reportedly recovered 200 grams of Cannabis Sativa and 177 cylinders of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas), weighing 364.662 kg. Hillary was further accused of possessing 200 grams of Cannabis Sativa on October 25, 2025.

Pretty Mike, 45, was accused of permitting his premises to be used for drug-related activities, contrary to Sections 14(b) and 20(1)(c) of the NDLEA Act.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty.

Defence counsel, Dr. B.S. Awosika (SAN), urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms, arguing that the men had no prior cr+minal record and would appear for trial. The prosecution opposed the application, saying the defendants had not provided enough supporting facts.

In his ruling, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa held that the prosecution failed to show sufficient grounds to deny bail, noting that the defendants remain presumed innocent. He granted each N50 million bail with two sureties in the same sum and ordered the sureties to swear to an affidavit of means. The defendants were released to their counsel pending completion of their bail conditions.

The case was adjourned to January 14, 2026, for trial.

Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of Pretty Mike’s Nightclub Over Drug Allegations.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of a property belonging to popular socialite and entertainer, Mike Nwalie, popularly known as Pretty Mike, over allegations that the premises were being used for drug storage and distribution.

Justice Musa Kakaki granted the order on Tuesday after hearing an ex parte motion filed by counsel to the National Dr¥g Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Buhari Abdulahi.

The property, located at No. 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, and operating as Proxy Lagos Night Club, was allegedly used as a storage and distribution centre for 169 cylinders (384.662 kilograms) of nitrous oxide, popularly called laughing gas, and 200 grams of cannabis sativa.

According to the NDLEA, the nightclub is jointly owned by Pretty Mike and one Joachim Hillary, who allegedly used the premises as a base to prepare for a “large-scale drug party.”

In an affidavit deposed to by Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Nasiru Garba Bungudu, the NDLEA said it received credible intelligence in October about preparations for a major drug event at the club. Acting on the tip-off, operatives from the Lagos Strategic Command stormed the venue around midnight on October 26, 2025, recovering the substances and arresting over 200 persons, including the two respondents.

Laboratory tests later confirmed that the seized materials were controlled drugs. The agency also alleged that the club had a record of similar drug-related activities carried out with the knowledge and consent of its owners.

After reviewing the evidence, Justice Kakaki granted the NDLEA’s application, ordering the interim forfeiture of the nightclub to the Federal Government and directing that all operations at the venue remain suspended.

The matter was adjourned to January 28, 2026, for further hearing.

From Beats to Bust: Afrobeats Artiste Arrested as NDLEA Dismantles Lagos Drug Lab.

According to a report by Punch on Monday, November 3, 2025, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a major blow to Lagos’s underground narcotics network after uncovering a secret laboratory where synthetic cannabis—popularly called Colorado or Colos—was being produced. The agency also arrested a 20-year-old Afrobeats musician, identified as Godspower George Osahenrumwen, known by his stage name Steady Boy, in connection with a related drug shipment.

The discovery came after weeks of surveillance and intelligence operations, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed in a Sunday statement. Officers stormed a residential building at Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos, where a 30-year-old suspect, Stephen Kelechi Imoh, had converted an apartment into a synthetic drug laboratory.

Inside the building, NDLEA operatives recovered 16.2 kilograms of freshly processed Colorado, 1.7 kilograms of ADB-CHMNACA (a synthetic cannabinoid), 4.5 kilograms of potassium carbonate, and 91 litres of dibromobutane—chemical ingredients used to manufacture the psychoactive substance.

In a related operation, the agency intercepted a shipment of Loud, another potent strain of cannabis, smuggled from New York through a DHL flight and hidden in three cartons of bathtubs. When Steady Boy arrived at a Lekki address to receive the package, NDLEA operatives swooped in and arrested him. The artiste’s manager, Zion Osazee Omigie, also known as “Zee Money,” is currently on the run.

NDLEA officials said the operations marked a significant milestone in the ongoing “War Against Drug Abuse” campaign, targeting not just traffickers but also local manufacturers who are now using residential areas as covert drug laboratories.

Experts warn that the shift from importation to domestic production signals a dangerous evolution of Nigeria’s narcotics trade. With such labs now embedded in urban neighborhoods, authorities fear a deeper social and security threat.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), reiterated that the agency will sustain its crackdown and expand its community outreach programs to combat rising drug abuse among Nigerian youths.

The suspects remain in custody as investigations continue into the full extent of the syndicate’s network.

NDLEA Officers Attacked By Suspected Cultists During Drug Raid In Rivers

"NDLEA here is a video of Wizkid, Seyi Vibes, Davido, Burna boy, Shallipopi, Naira Marley and Zinoleesky smoking Igbo. You can't go around busting youths while these celebrities are smoking"

- VeryDarkMan
https://x.com/i/status/1983865899200217273

“I can enter your house anytime without a warrant — my ID card gives me that power,”
— NDLEA officer boasts after being confronted for searching people’s phones.
https://x.com/i/status/1983190848427962784

NDLEA arrests Pretty Mike, others during drug party in Lagos.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in the early hours of Sunday 26th October, 2025, raided Proxy Night club at 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, where a drug party was going on.

Over 100 suspects including the owner of the club, Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, alias Pretty Mike, were arrested and taken into custody for screening.

Cartons of illicit substances including Loud, and laughing gas, were recovered from suspects at the party and the club’s store.

A statement released by the NDLEA said the raid followed intelligence about the drug party.

NDLEA operatives who were embedded in the party between 11:00 pm on Saturday 25th October however disrupted the gathering at 3:00 am on Sunday 26th October based on Standard Operating Procedures, SOPs.

A total of 70 parcels of cocaine factory packed in walls of cocoa butter formula body cream containers heading to London, United Kingdom have been uncovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with three suspects arrested in series of follow-up operations across Lagos.

The cocaine consignments weighing 3.60 kilograms were discovered on 14th October 2025 during examination of cargoes packaged as personal effects going to London, UK on an Air Peace flight.

A cargo agent Lawal Mustapha Olakunle who presented the consignment for airfreight was promptly arrested while investigations stretching into two weeks led to the arrest of two principal suspects linked to the attempt to export the concealed Class A drug to the UK.

Lagos socialite, Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, alias Pretty Mike, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during a raid on a night club in the Victoria Island area of the state.

NANS Calls for Mandatory Drug Testing in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the Federal Government to introduce compulsory drug testing for all students in tertiary institutions as part of efforts to tackle rising substance abuse among youths.

In a statement signed by Comrade Olushola Oladoja, NANS President, the association proposed a drug-Free Campus Initiative (DFCI) to promote discipline, improve academic performance, and protect Nigeria’s future workforce.

Oladoja described drug abuse among students as a “public health crisis” threatening learning, moral integrity, and national productivity.

“Drug abuse among students is no longer an isolated concern; it has evolved into a public health crisis affecting learning, safety, and national productivity,” NANS stated.

The association identified marijuana, tramadol, codeine, and methamphetamine (mkpurummiri) as the most abused substances, linking them to cultism, assault, and campus unrest.

“Most cases of cultism, aault, and campus unrest are traceable to substance influence. Drug abuse fuels aggression and moral decay among students,”
the group added.

NANS recommended mandatory drug testing at both admission and graduation points, supervised by the NDLEA and school health units, to ensure students “enter and leave the system clean.” It also proposed establishing drug-Free Clubs on all campuses and integrating drug education into orientation and General Studies courses.

Students identified with substance use, the group said, should receive rehabilitation and counselling rather than stigma.

Oladoja warned that unchecked drug abuse endangers Nigeria’s development and leadership future.
“The dream of a prosperous Nigeria begins with a generation of mentally sound, morally upright, and drug-free students,”

he stated, urging collective action among the Ministry of Education, NDLEA, and student unions to secure the nation’s campuses.

Clemency: You’ve brought shame, scrap NDLEA, EFCC, ICPC – APC chieftain to Tinubu.

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has called for the scrapping of some federal government agencies.

The agencies include the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

According Eze, these agencies have Iost their flavours to political Interferences, stressing that President Bola Tinubu’s presidential pardon of drug barons have further erodes public confidence in statutory Institutions.

The APC chieftain said as long as he remains a member of the ruling party it must be said categorically that Tinubu, by his action, has brought shame and reproach to the party.

Eze believes that no reasonable person would vote for the APC again as the President has made it unelectable in any election in this country.

Eze said that APC’s return to power in 2027 would mean that Nigerians approve of a regime that legitimizes illegality as a political strategy to sustain its odious reign beyond 2027.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Information and Strategy last week, said in a statement that out of the 175 beneficiaries of the Presidential pardon, 41 illegal miners, 28 drug traffickers and 22 murderers topped the list.

Notable among the 175 beneficiaries are Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists; Farouk Lawan, a former member of the house of representatives; Mamman Vatsa, a major general and poet executed in 1986 over alleged treason; and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband in 2017.

Primate Ayodele Blasts Tinubu, Says Release Nnamdi Kanu, You Wasted NDLEA, Security Operatives Effort.

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

He was reacting on Tuesday after President Bola Tinubu granted a presidential pardon to murderers, corrupt officials, and criminals.

According to him, some of those he pardoned had been sentenced to death, life sentences for crimes relating to drug trafficking, murder, and human trafficking, to mention but a few.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele described the action as wasting the efforts of the NDLEA and security operatives who arrested and convicted the criminals.

He stated that the criminals will continue to cause issues in the country and add to the troubles of security operatives, despite the current situation of insecurity in the country.

Primate Ayodele said: “Why must he pardon criminals, cocaine pushers? It’s just like wasting the efforts of these security operatives to arrest these criminals.

These criminals will continue to cause issues in society; you can’t separate them from crime.”

He said since it was easy for the president to pardon the criminals, it’s unfair to allow Nnamdi Kanu to still be behind bars without sentencing for several years.

Presidential Clemency: Tinubu Pardoned 70 Drug Lords – Dino Melaye Alleges.

According to get a report by Daily Post, former Kogi senator, Dino Melaye, has alleged thar President Bola Tinubu of included about 70 convicted drug offenders among the 175 persons recently granted presidential clemency.

The allegation, shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, has sparked controversy over the nature and scope of the president’s latest pardon exercise.

Melaye described the action as “unprecedented in history,” insisting that no administration in the world had ever pardoned such a large number of convicted drug traffickers. “Pardon granted 70 drug lords by President Tinubu is unprecedented in history. My advice to the President is to scrap the NDLEA. His action has made a beautiful nonsensical of all the efforts of the agency since inception,” he wrote.

President Tinubu recently approved the release or posthumous pardon of 175 individuals as part of his administration’s effort to promote reconciliation and decongest correctional facilities.

The list included prominent names such as the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, nationalist Herbert Macaulay, and former military officer Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed for treason in 1986. Also listed was Maryam Sanda, who had been sentenced to death for killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello.

The presidency framed the gesture as part of broader national healing, aimed at righting perceived historical wrongs and showing compassion. But critics say the clemency exercise lacked transparency and may have rewarded people convicted of serious crimes.

Melaye’s claim that dozens of drug traffickers were among those pardoned has heightened public concern. The former federal lawmaker did not name the allegedly pardoned drug Lords and the claim has not been verified.

Notwithstanding, following the allegations, some Nigerians warn that such a move could demoralize anti-narcotics agencies. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been praised internationally in recent years for its intensified war on drug cartels, with several high-profile convictions recorded.

NDLEA Nabs Lagos, Onitsha Boutique Owner With 127 Wraps of Cocaine Hidden in Stomach and Underwear.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 52-year-old businessman, Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano for attempting to smuggle 127 wraps of cocaine into Nigeria.

Ejiofor, who reportedly owns boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State, was intercepted on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, upon arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect was apprehended following credible intelligence. A body scan revealed that he had ingested several pellets of cocaine and concealed more inside his underwear.

“Ejiofor was immediately taken into custody after the scan confirmed he had ingested the drugs. A total of 58 wraps were recovered from his underwear, while another 69 pellets were later excreted in seven rounds, bringing the total to 127 wraps weighing 1.388 kilograms,” the statement said.

In related operations, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted three shipments of illicit drugs bound for the United Kingdom between October 9 and 10. The seizures included 1.74 kg of methamphetamine hidden in glass ceramic blocks, 114 grams of pentazocine, 168 grams of tramadol injections, and 48 grams of tramadol capsules concealed in Vitamin C containers.

The agency also foiled attempts by other drug syndicates to smuggle 2.6 kg of skunk and 422 grams of tapentadol disguised as black soap heading to Turkey, 169 grams of cocaine hidden in women’s handbags destined for Australia, and 568 grams of “Loyd” cannabis concealed in herbal containers en route to the United Arab Emirates.

NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying operations against drug trafficking networks across Nigeria and beyond.

NDLEA Dismantles Major Cocaine Syndicate in Lagos, Arrests Alleged Drug Baron.

The National drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled two major drug cartels behind multiple cocaine consignments concealed in export goods across Lagos. 

This was revealed in a signed statement by the agency’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

The operations, which spanned over three weeks, led to the arrest of five suspects, including the alleged leader, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, who posed as a businessman and real estate developer.

The breakthrough came on September 16, 2025, when NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.4 kilograms, cleverly hidden in the walls of cocoa butter body cream containers. A cargo agent linked to the shipment was immediately arrested.

NDLEA operatives caused stampede in Benin as they fire gunshots to arrest fleeing driver for brushing their vehicle.

The serenity of the Upper Sokponba Road axis of Benin City, Edo State where the state command of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is located was on Friday morning shattered as passersby, traders, and motorists fled in different directions in confusion as operatives of the agency began to shoot sporadically as they pursued an articulated vehicle which was said to have hit their vehicle and refused to stop.

Though the NDLEA had not made an official statement on the incident, a source who pleaded anonymity, however stated that the operatives eventually succeeded in apprehending the driver and had taken him into custody.

It was gathered that the sporadic gunshots which lasted for more than five minutes at the gate of the Agency sent people running in different directions as the desperate driver raced towards Oka Market, which is about five hundred meters from the state command.

The shooting was said to have started as the trailer approached the gate of the NDLEA where officers had already been alerted by their colleagues on its pursuit, deflating about seven of its tyres, while the driver kept moving.
A reliable source explained that the driver brushed their vehicle somewhere along the way and refused to stop so that they could settle the matter hence the gunshots and deflation of the tyres of the vehicle to force the driver to stop.

According to him, “It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tyres, he was still running, but we have caught him, and they are bringing him back to our office”.

NDLEA Proposes Mandatory Drug Test for Driver’s Licence Applicants.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has proposed mandatory drug integrity tests for individuals applying for driver’s licences as part of efforts to reduce dr¥g-related road accidents across Nigeria.

NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, made this known in a goodwill message at the National Summit of the Special Marshals of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Wednesday in Abuja. He was represented by the Deputy Commandant General of Narcotics, Mr. Umoru Ambrose.

Marwa described the NDLEA and FRSC as “partners in progress,” stressing that while the FRSC ensures road safety, the NDLEA tackles the root causes of crashes, including drug abuse. He noted that years of research have shown that substance abuse contributes significantly to road accidents.

He revealed that both agencies are finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with one of its key provisions being the introduction of drug tests for drivers. According to him, the NDLEA has already fulfilled its part of the agreement and is awaiting the FRSC’s input before full implementation.

Marwa explained that the initiative would require drivers to undergo drug tests before applying for licences, while trained FRSC officials would also be able to conduct on-the-spot drug tests on highways. He added that the measure would serve as a deterrent to commercial drivers who abuse drugs or alcohol.

The NDLEA boss further disclosed that the planned collaboration would allow FRSC and NDLEA operatives to jointly assess both drivers and passengers during road operations.

“With this measure, FRSC and NDLEA officers will be able to conduct spot drug tests on highways. Once the process is concluded, the agency will move to full implementation,” Marwa assured.