The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), has called for the aggressive seizure and recovery of assets linked to drug traffickers, arguing that arrests and convictions alone are not enough to dismantle organised drug trafficking networks.
Marwa made the call on Tuesday while delivering a presentation titled “Criminal Property and the Criminal Process: How Can We Make It More Effective?” at the ongoing 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, organised by the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Speaking before an international audience comprising judges, law enforcement officials, financial intelligence experts and academics, the NDLEA chairman said the effectiveness of a criminal justice system should not be measured only by the number of arrests or convictions it secures.
According to him, authorities must also ensure that criminal activities are made financially unprofitable by identifying, freezing and ultimately recovering assets acquired through illegal operations.
Marwa said drug trafficking organisations are driven largely by the enormous profits generated from the illicit trade, making financial disruption an essential part of the fight against the networks behind the trafficking of narcotics.
He disclosed that the NDLEA had frozen bank accounts containing more than $7 million in the previous month as part of its efforts to disrupt the financial operations of suspected drug traffickers.
The agency also secured interim forfeiture orders covering multibillion-naira assets allegedly connected to a fugitive methamphetamine trafficking syndicate. The assets reportedly include filling stations, multi-storey buildings and exotic vehicles.
Marwa explained that targeting the assets of suspected traffickers was intended to ensure that individuals involved in the illegal drug trade could not continue benefiting financially from their criminal activities.
He also cited the case involving Nigerian businessman Amadi Simon, whom the NDLEA described as a suspected drug baron. According to Marwa, three hotels linked to the suspect were placed under professional asset managers rather than being shut down.
The arrangement, he explained, was designed to preserve the value of the properties and allow them to continue operating as going concerns while the legal proceedings against the suspect continue.
Marwa said the approach demonstrates the importance of preserving the economic value of seized assets instead of allowing them to deteriorate while cases remain before the courts.
He also highlighted the use of provisions concerning unexplained wealth and living beyond legitimate means as investigative tools. Such provisions, he said, can help investigators identify assets whose ownership or acquisition cannot be adequately explained through legitimate sources of income.
Another measure he highlighted was the interlocutory sale of perishable or rapidly depreciating assets. The objective, he explained, is to prevent the value of such property from being lost during prolonged legal proceedings.
According to the NDLEA chairman, these measures have now been incorporated into Nigeria's National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030, making financial disruption of drug trafficking organisations a sustained national priority.
Marwa identified speed, preservation of value and institutionalisation as three major principles guiding the agency's asset-recovery strategy.
He explained that authorities must act quickly when criminal assets are identified because delays can give suspects an opportunity to conceal, transfer or dispose of property.
At the same time, he acknowledged the need to protect the rights of accused persons and ensure that asset recovery processes are conducted within the law.
The NDLEA chairman also identified some challenges affecting efforts to recover criminal assets, including delays in mutual legal assistance between countries and limited capacity for forensic accounting.
He called for faster international cooperation and stronger cross-border recognition of non-conviction-based forfeiture orders, particularly because major drug trafficking organisations frequently operate across national boundaries.
According to Marwa, stronger international cooperation would make it more difficult for suspected traffickers to hide criminal proceeds in foreign jurisdictions or transfer assets outside the reach of investigators.
He reaffirmed the NDLEA's willingness to strengthen partnerships with foreign governments, law enforcement agencies, financial intelligence institutions and other international organisations in order to dismantle the financial structures supporting drug trafficking.
Marwa's remarks come as the NDLEA continues to place increasing emphasis on disrupting not only the supply of illicit drugs but also the financial networks that sustain organised trafficking.
The agency has repeatedly argued that drug trafficking generates enormous profits that can be used to finance other criminal activities and strengthen organised crime networks.
For the NDLEA, therefore, confiscating drugs and arresting suspects represents only part of the enforcement process. Recovering the proceeds and assets allegedly generated from the illegal trade is seen as another crucial way of weakening trafficking organisations.
Marwa said the ultimate objective should be to ensure that individuals who engage in drug trafficking do not retain the financial benefits of their activities.
He maintained that when crime becomes financially unprofitable, the incentives that encourage organised criminal groups to participate in the illegal drug trade can be significantly reduced.
The NDLEA is expected to continue working with relevant Nigerian institutions and international partners to identify, freeze and recover assets allegedly connected to drug trafficking while ensuring that suspects receive due process.
Marwa's call also places greater emphasis on the financial investigation component of Nigeria's anti-drug campaign, with authorities increasingly looking beyond the physical seizure of narcotics to the money and property behind the trade.
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