The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has called for the seizure and recovery of drug traffickers’ assets.
Marwa said arrests alone cannot defeat drug trafficking. He spoke on Tuesday at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime in the United Kingdom. The NDLEA boss said the criminal justice system should not measure success only by convictions. He said authorities must also ensure that crime does not remain profitable.
According to Marwa, traffickers can continue their operations if they retain the wealth made from crime.
“A trafficker who loses his liberty but retains his fortune has not truly been defeated. His wealth can finance another operation, support his associates and sustain the criminal enterprise.”
Marwa said the goal should be to deny criminals access to their proceeds. He also stressed the need to preserve the value of seized assets. He compared arresting a trafficker without dismantling their financial network to cutting a weed while leaving its roots intact.
NDLEA strengthens asset recovery
Marwa said the NDLEA has adopted several measures to strengthen asset recovery. The measures are based on relevant laws covering drug enforcement, proceeds of crime and money laundering. He cited the forfeiture of the Hook Hotel as an example. The property was linked to a fugitive drug suspect and was sold for $4.2m.
The proceeds were paid into the Federal Government’s forfeited assets account with the Central Bank of Nigeria. Marwa said the case showed that fleeing Nigeria would not allow suspects to retain the benefits of alleged criminal activities. He also disclosed that NDLEA investigators and prosecutors now work together from the start of cases. According to him, this has helped reduce the time needed to secure restraint orders.
The NDLEA chairman said the agency froze bank accounts containing more than $7m in the previous month. It also secured interim forfeiture orders covering multibillion-naira assets. These included filling stations, multi-storey buildings and exotic vehicles allegedly linked to a fugitive methamphetamine syndicate.
Marwa said the agency placed three hotels linked to suspected drug baron Amadi Simon under professional asset managers. He explained that the decision was made to preserve the hotels’ value while the trial continues. The NDLEA chairman also highlighted the use of unexplained wealth and living beyond legitimate means as investigative triggers.
He said the agency also uses interlocutory sales for assets that could lose value before the conclusion of a case.
Marwa seeks stronger international cooperation
Marwa said financial disruption of drug trafficking organisations had become a national priority under Nigeria’s National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030. He identified speed, preservation of value and institutionalisation as key principles guiding asset recovery. However, he acknowledged challenges such as delays in mutual legal assistance and limited forensic accounting capacity.
He also noted the need to balance the rights of accused persons with the government’s responsibility to preserve assets during trials. Marwa called for faster international cooperation and stronger recognition of non-conviction-based forfeiture orders across borders.
He reaffirmed the NDLEA’s readiness to work with foreign jurisdictions and institutions to dismantle the financial networks supporting drug trafficking.
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