World Drug Day: NDLEA, UNODC unveil weeklong plan, as Marwa vows to choke cartels’ finances

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have unveiled a weeklong programme to mark the 2026 World Drug Day, with the agency vowing to keep dismantling the financial networks behind drug trafficking.

Speaking at the agency’s Abuja headquarters through Secretary Shadrach Haruna, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) said this year’s theme: “Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses”,  reflects a drug landscape now shaped by synthetic substances and digital black markets requiring tech-driven enforcement.

Events lined up to mark the weeklong programme include a Walk Against Drugs scheduled for Saturday, an essay competition finale Monday, NGO Day Tuesday, an outreach drive in FCT markets Wednesday, and a Grand Finale at the State House Conference Centre on Friday, where new policy frameworks will be unveiled.

Marwa said the agency’s WADA initiative, now five years old, has matured into a “Whole-of-Society Approach,” while its asset-forfeiture drive under the Proceeds of Crime Act continues to target traffickers’ wealth alongside their liberty.

He thanked President Tinubu, state governments, and international partners including the US DEA, UK’s NCA, and Germany’s BKA.

Specifically, Marwa also pointed to the agency’s “Offensive Action” against cartels, also launched in January 2021, crediting it with sustained arrests and convictions of major drug barons.

He said the agency’s legal department, backed by the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), has increasingly relied on civil forfeiture proceedings to seize and forfeit assets traced to drug crimes — a strategy he said is aimed at crippling traffickers financially rather than merely securing custodial convictions.

In his remarks, UNODC’s Cheikh Ousmane Toure, represented by Danielo Campisi, said the drug problem is evolving, not static, and that progress depends on partnership, shared responsibility, and sustained international cooperation.

While stressing that Nigeria must simultaneously confront long-standing challenges and adapt to emerging threats said sustained progress would depend on partnership and shared responsibility, adding that UNODC remains committed to supporting Nigeria’s anti-drug efforts through evidence-based, human-centred approaches and international cooperation.