Beyond Arrests: NDLEA’s Five-Year Battle to Rescue 54,000 Nigerians from Drug Addiction
By Matthew Eloyi
The fight against drug abuse is often measured by the number of arrests made, illicit substances seized and traffickers brought to justice. But beyond the statistics and enforcement operations lies another equally important dimension of the battle: rescuing those trapped in substance dependence and giving them an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
For the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), this human-centred approach has become a critical part of its strategy to confront Nigeria’s growing drug problem. Over the past five years, the agency says it has counselled and rehabilitated more than 54,000 drug users, demonstrating that the war against substance abuse must go beyond punishment to embrace treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration.
The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), underscored this philosophy while addressing participants at the second Regimental Sergeant Majors’ (RSMs) Convention in Benin, where he called for stronger measures to prevent drug abuse within the Nigerian Army.
Speaking on the theme, “Combating Drug Abuse and Substance Misuse in the Nigerian Army: The Role of RSMs in Prevention, Early Detection and Rehabilitation”, Marwa made a compelling case for treating substance dependence as a health condition requiring professional intervention rather than automatically regarding affected individuals as criminals or moral failures.
“A drug user is not automatically a criminal to be thrown away. In many cases, he is a sick man who needs help,” he said.
The statement captures an important shift in the understanding of drug abuse: while trafficking and the distribution of illicit substances demand firm law enforcement, addiction requires a more nuanced response that recognises the human condition behind the problem.
For Marwa, the distinction is particularly important in an institution such as the Nigerian Army, where discipline, physical fitness, sound judgement and operational reliability are indispensable. He argued that military authorities must find the right balance between enforcing discipline and providing appropriate medical and rehabilitative support for personnel struggling with substance dependence.
The scale of Nigeria’s drug challenge makes such an approach imperative. Citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, Marwa recalled that an estimated 14.3 million Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 had used drugs in 2017, representing 14.4 per cent of the population. He also highlighted the reported 33 per cent drug-use prevalence in Lagos as an indication of the magnitude of the national challenge.
Against this backdrop, the NDLEA has pursued a multi-pronged strategy combining enforcement, prevention, public sensitisation, counselling and rehabilitation.
The agency’s record over the last five years reflects the intensity of its operations. Marwa disclosed that more than 76,000 suspects, including 250 drug barons, had been arrested, while over 16 million kilogrammes of illicit substances were seized. More than 2,000 hectares of cannabis farms were also destroyed, with 16,691 convictions secured within the period.
Beyond these enforcement figures, the agency has taken its prevention campaign to schools, workplaces, markets, motor parks and communities through the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. According to Marwa, the NDLEA conducted about 17,000 advocacy activities under the programme, reflecting its determination to tackle drug abuse through education and community engagement.
However, it was his emphasis on the implications of substance misuse for military effectiveness that gave his address particular significance.
Marwa maintained that drug abuse within the armed forces should not be dismissed as merely a social or welfare concern. Rather, it represents a direct threat to combat readiness, command effectiveness and the safety of military personnel and civilians.
“Why is drug abuse a combat readiness issue? Some may think that drug abuse is a welfare or social problem. It is far more than that. It is an operational problem in the army and a command problem,” he said.
His argument is rooted in the potentially devastating consequences of substance misuse in a military environment. Drugs can impair judgement, compromise coordination and trigger aggression, paranoia and delusion, conditions that could have serious consequences for soldiers operating in volatile and high-risk environments.
The consequences may extend beyond the battlefield. Substance misuse can contribute to absenteeism, indiscipline, theft of military property and the breakdown of trust among personnel, ultimately weakening the cohesion and effectiveness of military formations.
“Combat requires reliability. One unreliable man can lead to the loss of lives of 10 men or more,” Marwa warned.
It is against this background that he identified Regimental Sergeant Majors as indispensable actors in the prevention and early detection of drug abuse within the military.
Describing RSMs as the conscience of their units and a vital link between soldiers and commanding officers, he noted that their close and regular interaction with personnel places them in a unique position to recognise behavioural changes that may indicate substance misuse.
Their responsibilities, he suggested, go beyond enforcing parade-ground discipline and ensuring compliance with military regulations. They are also expected to provide moral leadership, promote responsible conduct and help create an environment where personnel can seek assistance before their challenges escalate.
“You are the commanding officer’s most honest adviser. You must tell the commander the truth. You are the principal moral boss of the unit. You can build morale or kill it,” he told the RSMs.
To equip them for this responsibility, Marwa urged the senior non-commissioned officers to lead by example, educate soldiers about the dangers of drug abuse and pay closer attention to changes in their conduct and appearance.
He identified unusual drowsiness, red or glazed eyes, unexplained weight loss, poor personal hygiene, tremors, slurred speech, unexplained debts, missing property and frequent disappearances as possible warning signs.
However, he cautioned against jumping to conclusions, stressing that these indicators alone could not establish drug use. Proper assessment and testing, he explained, remained necessary.
“The conclusive way to confirm drug use is through the drug integrity test,” he said.
Perhaps more importantly, Marwa urged military authorities to distinguish between personnel involved in drug trafficking and those battling substance dependence. While traffickers must be held accountable under the law, soldiers struggling with addiction should be assessed and considered for treatment.
He also drew attention to the need for sensitivity in handling cases involving wounded soldiers who may have developed dependence on pain medication during the course of treatment. Such circumstances, he argued, require proper medical evaluation rather than a blanket disciplinary response.
To support the military in addressing the challenge, the NDLEA chairman disclosed that the agency had rehabilitation centres across the country and was prepared to share its expertise with the Nigerian Army. This could include training medical and welfare personnel to identify, assess and manage cases of substance dependence within military formations.
The proposed collaboration also extends to intelligence gathering and joint operations against drug trafficking networks. Marwa warned that criminal networks could attempt to compromise military personnel through financial inducements and other forms of enticement, urging RSMs to remain vigilant, reject such approaches and report suspicious activities.
He acknowledged the Nigerian Army’s support for NDLEA operations, particularly raids on cannabis farms situated in remote forest locations, where the agency often requires additional operational capacity.
Ultimately, the message from the NDLEA chairman was that neither institution could effectively confront the drug problem in isolation.
“The NDLEA cannot fight this war alone. The army cannot fight this war alone. Drug abuse is a shared enemy,” he said.
The more than 54,000 Nigerians counselled and rehabilitated by the agency over five years represent an important reminder that the success of the fight against drugs cannot be measured solely by arrests, convictions and seizures. It must also be measured by the lives recovered, families strengthened and individuals given another opportunity to contribute meaningfully to society.
For the Nigerian Army, embracing this philosophy does not mean compromising discipline or weakening military standards. Rather, it means recognising that a soldier battling addiction may need professional help, just as a soldier who violates the law must face appropriate consequences.
In the broader national campaign against substance abuse, the NDLEA’s experience reinforces a fundamental lesson: enforcement can disrupt drug networks, but prevention, treatment and rehabilitation are equally essential to defeating addiction. The ultimate victory is not simply taking drugs off the streets, but helping people reclaim their lives.