Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), has made a powerful statement to the international community: arresting drug traffickers is not enough if they get to keep their money. Speaking at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Marwa said that locking up a drug baron while leaving their wealth untouched is like cutting a weed but leaving the root to grow back.
"A trafficker who loses his liberty but keeps his fortune has not been truly defeated," Marwa told the gathering of judges, law enforcement officials, and financial experts. "His money can still fund another operation, support his friends, and keep the criminal business running." The NDLEA boss explained that the real goal must be to make crime completely unprofitable. If criminals know they will lose everything they own, they will think twice before getting into the trade.
Marwa shared six ways the NDLEA has been working to take away criminals' assets. He gave the example of Hook Hotel, a property owned by a wanted drug suspect. The NDLEA seized it through a legal process and sold it for $4.2 million. The money was paid into the government's account. This showed that criminals cannot just run away and keep what they stole.
He also revealed that the NDLEA has changed its approach. Investigators and prosecutors now work together from the very beginning of a case. This has helped them freeze bank accounts and secure court orders to seize properties much faster. In just one month, the agency froze bank accounts holding over $7 million and got court orders to take control of filling stations, buildings, and expensive cars linked to a drug syndicate.
Marwa mentioned the case of Amadi Simon, a Nigerian billionaire and suspected drug baron who was arrested in Switzerland. In that case, three of his hotels were placed under professional managers so they would not lose value while the case went on. This ensured that the properties could be sold later if the court ordered it.
The NDLEA chairman also talked about the importance of asking tough questions. If someone is living a very expensive lifestyle but cannot explain where the money comes from, that is enough reason to investigate. He said this has become part of Nigeria's national drug control plan for 2026 to 2030.
While Marwa admitted there are still challenges—like delays in getting help from other countries and not having enough forensic accountants—he called for faster international cooperation. He stressed that countries must work together to make sure criminals cannot hide their money across borders.
Marwa's message is simple: the war on drugs cannot be won by arrests alone. The money that fuels the trade must be taken away. If criminals know they will lose everything, the drug business will become too risky for anyone to run. For Nigeria, this new focus on seizing assets marks a big change in how the country fights drug trafficking. It moves from just catching criminals to completely destroying their ability to keep doing business.
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