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.
Marwa, who first assumed the role in January 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, previously chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 to 2020. His reappointment means he will lead the NDLEA until 2031.
A seasoned military officer from Adamawa State, Marwa is a former military governor of Lagos and Borno States. He attended the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), where he later served as academic registrar. His military career also includes roles as brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, and postings as Deputy Defence Adviser in Washington, DC, and 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.
Under his leadership, the NDLEA has recorded significant milestones, including the arrest of over 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of more than 15 million kilogrammes of illicit substances. The agency has also intensified nationwide campaigns against drug abuse.
President Tinubu described the renewal of Marwa’s appointment as a “vote of confidence” in his efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse across the country, urging him to continue his relentless pursuit of drug cartels targeting Nigerian youth.
The announcement was made in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on November 14, 2025.
