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He is a man with the Midas touch. He goes about any job assigned to him with the finesse and seriousness of a perfectionist. Indeed, he happened on Nigeria’s military and political firmament like a dazzling star that catches the attention of all. And, before anyone knew it, he had shone brighter than the Northern Star. Dear readers, I’m talking about General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), son of a soldier, from Michika, in Adamawa State, who later became a soldier himself and rose to the pinnacle of his military career.
As serving officer, Gen. Marwa firmly stamped his name in the sands of time as a a soldier with coordinate talent and vision. He endeared himself to Nigerians when he was appointed the Military Administrator of Lagos State, between 1996 and 1999. I crossed Marwa’s path when I covered the press conference where he announced the appointment of the then Col. Kenneth Minimah as head of the Lagos anti-crime squad, the very popular and effective Operation Sweep, a joint police and military squad that helped reduced crime rate in Lagos during Marwa’s administration. Incidentally, Minimah would later attain the zenith of his military career as Chief of Army Staff and the corresponding rank of Lt. General.
Marwa’s outstanding successes in sweeping out crime, criminality and criminals from Lagos, Borno and the defunct Gongola State, where he had also held sway as governor, may have played a role in his appointment as the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in 2021 by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Upon his appointment, Marwa did not leave any stone unturned neither did he leave anyone in doubt that he was the right man for the job. Before anyone could doubt his ability and capability, he had assembled very capable narcotic officers with whom he would sweep away drug barons and anything associated with drug trafficking in the country. He would then reconnect with his colleagues and friends when he was the Deputy Defense Adviser in the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC., in 1990, to fully establish a network of security information-gathering on the activities of drug barons operating in Nigeria. Marwa brought vitality and dexterity to the NDLEA and this can be gleaned from the manner in which the agency’s operatives have steadily been unleashing a ferocious war on drug barons. Security experts believe that Marwa’s strategies should be studied by other heads of security agencies in Nigeria.
According to reports, Nigeria acts as a key West African transit corridor for South American cocaine and Asian heroin heading to European and North American markets. Under the NDLEA Act (Cap. N30), offenses like the import, export, manufacture or sale of hard drugs (cocaine, heroin, LSD, etc.) carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while possession or use carries 15 to 25 years. Despite these stringent measures, Nigerian youths continue to get involved in illegal drug business and Marwa and his men have proved to be up to the task, hard nuts to crack in the fight agains peddlers, traffickers and consumers of illicit drugs.
Impressively, Marwa and his men have consistently swept the airport, seaport, forests, hotels, luxury homes, bushes and all hideouts of drug offenders, arresting them and bringing them to justice. The agency under Marwa has seized tons of illicit drugs that would have constituted health hazards to Nigerians.
Statistics show that, between 2021 and 2026, NDLEA, under Gen. Marwa, has arrested a total of 96,157 nacortics crime suspects and destroyed a total of 2,099.96 hectares of cannabis farms across the country .
Also, the Marwa searchlight located 250 hard drug barons. Similarly, the agency effected 15,833,856.3kg drugs seizures, while a total of 16,000 suspects were convicted. Within the period under review, a total of 54,517 hard drug users were sent on rehabilitation.Marwa did not stop there; he equally initiated a programme known as WADA Advocacy, with impressive attendance of 6,101,463 participants across the country. This heart warming record speaks glowingly of an officer with sterner stuff and insatiable appetite to continue sweeping illicit drugs out of the shores of the country.
However, let me state here too that the NDLEA needs to increase its sensitisation drive aimed at letting young Nigerians know the dangers of hard drug trafficking and addiction, to ensure that Nigeria is completely free from the drug menace. The sensitisation drive should be taken to secondary schools, tertiary institutions, major markets and some government agencies.
Similarly, our leaders and aspiring leaders must obviously not be found to be either substance addicts or peddlers or enablers of drug trafficking. So, I would suggest that, as the drumbeats of political campaigns vibrate across the country, politicians and their foot soldiers should be thoroughly scrutinised by the NDLEA and if possible subjected to drug tests before ascending any political podium to campaign.
Kudos, the people’s General!
Kudos, the nightmare of drug traffickers.
Kudos, General Marwa.
Carry go!
Security hints:
Do you know of anybody around your residence, office or neighbourhood who is into drug peddling, trafficking or addiction? This is an opportunity to report such a person to any of the underlisted security agencies.
Also, do you know of any place where hard, illicit drugs are hidden or stored? Be a patriotic Nigerian by alerting any of the underlisted security agencies. Let us join hands with Marwa and his men to sweep illicit drugs out of Nigeria:
1. NDLEA: 080010203040
2. POLICE: 07031179186
3. DSS:09153391309
4. Nigerian Army:193
5. Civil Defence:09132232323.
Have a crime-free weekend.
