By George Mgbeleke<\/p>\n
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has applauded the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for bringing international recognition and positive attention to Nigeria through its remarkable transformation of the country’s drug control architecture.<\/p>\n
HURIWA particularly commends the Chairman\/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), and the entire management and workforce of the NDLEA for demonstrating that Nigerian public institutions can deliver measurable results, earn international respect and provide practical solutions to complex security challenges when given purposeful leadership.<\/p>\n
The rights group notes that the recent presentation of Nigeria’s drug control achievements at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York has placed the country in positive international spotlight, with the NDLEA’s institutional reforms and operational milestones attracting commendation from the international community.<\/p>\n
For HURIWA, this recognition is not merely a diplomatic achievement but an affirmation that Nigeria possesses the institutional capacity to confront organised crime, dismantle transnational criminal networks and protect vulnerable citizens when its agencies are adequately empowered.<\/p>\n
The figures presented before the United Nations speak volumes about the scale of the Agency’s work. Between January 2025 and September 2026, the NDLEA recorded 38,242 arrests, seized more than 5.8 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs valued at over \u20a62.5 trillion and secured 6,232 convictions.<\/p>\n
The Agency also facilitated counselling, treatment and rehabilitation for more than 16,303 persons, while its drug prevention and sensitisation programmes reached millions of Nigerians.<\/p>\n
HURIWA considers this combination of enforcement, intelligence gathering, rehabilitation, prevention, technological innovation and community engagement a significant demonstration of institutional transformation.<\/p>\n
We are particularly encouraged by the NDLEA’s growing international partnerships, including the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Federal Police (AFP), which provides for intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, capacity development and controlled delivery.<\/p>\n
The agreement, alongside the Agency’s collaboration with international law enforcement institutions, demonstrates that Nigeria is increasingly becoming an active partner in the global campaign against transnational drug trafficking rather than merely a country struggling with its consequences.<\/p>\n
HURIWA also acknowledges the importance of the Agency’s alternative development initiative, which seeks to help communities abandon illicit cannabis cultivation in favour of legitimate agricultural livelihoods.<\/p>\n
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MUST NOT DELAY NDLEA REFORMS<\/p>\n
However, while celebrating these achievements, HURIWA wishes to draw the urgent attention of the National Assembly to the proposed amendments to the NDLEA Act aimed at strengthening the Agency through adequate and sustainable funding arrangements and greater operational independence.<\/p>\n
We consider it contradictory and unacceptable for Nigeria to celebrate the international accomplishments of an institution while delaying the legislative reforms required to make its operations more effective, sustainable and independent.<\/p>\n
The National Assembly must recognise that the war against illicit drugs is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Drug cartels are deploying advanced technology, exploiting international financial systems, establishing cross-border criminal networks and recruiting vulnerable young people into organised crime.<\/p>\n
An agency confronting such formidable threats cannot be expected to deliver optimally when its funding and operational capacity are constrained by institutional and administrative limitations.<\/p>\n
HURIWA therefore urges the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, the relevant committees and the leadership of both chambers to accord the proposed amendments the urgency they deserve.<\/p>\n
The National Assembly must act without further delay.<\/p>\n
We insist that the proposed legislative interventions should not be subjected to unnecessary bureaucratic delays, political considerations or avoidable legislative bottlenecks.<\/p>\n
Granting the NDLEA stronger funding guarantees and meaningful operational independence would not amount to giving the Agency unchecked powers. Rather, such reforms should be accompanied by appropriate accountability, transparency and human rights safeguards to ensure that enhanced institutional capacity translates into better public service delivery.<\/p>\n
HURIWA believes that the international commendation Nigeria is receiving through the NDLEA should serve as a compelling reason for lawmakers to consolidate the gains through legislation.<\/p>\n
It would be unfortunate for Nigeria to showcase an institution’s achievements before the United Nations and the international community, only for the domestic legislative process to fail to provide the support necessary for sustaining those achievements.<\/p>\n
We therefore call on the National Assembly to treat the proposed amendments to the NDLEA Act as an urgent national security priority and move decisively towards their consideration and passage.<\/p>\n
Nigeria must not celebrate institutional excellence abroad while withholding the legislative support required to sustain it at home.<\/p>\n
The time to empower the NDLEA is now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has applauded the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for bringing international recognition and positive attention to Nigeria through its remarkable transformation of the country’s drug control architecture. HURIWA particularly commends the Chairman\/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19370,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19369\/revisions\/19370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}