The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has declared that the fight against drug trafficking cannot be won through arrests and convictions alone, stressing that drug barons must also be stripped of the wealth generated from their illicit activities.
According to a statement by Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja Femi Babafemi, Marwa made the declaration while delivering a presentation titled “Criminal Property and the Criminal Process: How Can We Make It More Effective?” at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, organised by the Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Addressing an international audience of judges, law enforcement chiefs, financial intelligence experts and academics, the NDLEA chairman said the effectiveness of the criminal justice system should be measured not only by the number of convictions secured, but also by whether criminal enterprises are rendered financially unprofitable.
He said a trafficker who loses his freedom but retains his fortune has not been completely defeated, as the proceeds can be used to finance new operations, support criminal associates and sustain illicit networks.
“The ultimate objective must therefore be to deny criminals the proceeds of their crime, promptly and lawfully, while preserving the value of the property,” Marwa said, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening asset recovery as a central component of its anti-drug strategy.
He likened arresting a trafficker without dismantling his financial empire to “pruning a weed at the stem while leaving its roots undisturbed,” warning that illicit wealth could resurface through different names, front companies or jurisdictions.
Marwa outlined six practical strategies deployed by the NDLEA to strengthen asset recovery, anchored on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act 2004, the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
He cited the forfeiture of the Hook Hotel, a property linked to a fugitive drug suspect, as a notable example. According to him, the property was recovered through non-conviction-based forfeiture and subsequently sold for $4.2 million, with the proceeds paid into the Federal Government’s forfeited assets account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The development, he said, demonstrated that fugitives could not simply evade the criminal process while retaining the benefits of their alleged crimes.
The NDLEA boss also disclosed that investigators and prosecutors are now embedded together from the outset of cases, a reform he said had reduced the time between arrests and the securing of restraint orders.
He revealed that in the previous month alone, the agency froze bank accounts containing more than $7 million and obtained interim forfeiture orders covering multibillion-naira assets, including filling stations, multi-storey buildings and exotic vehicles allegedly linked to a fugitive methamphetamine syndicate.
On the high-profile case involving Nigerian billionaire and suspected drug baron Amadi Simon, who was arrested in Switzerland through a joint operation involving the NDLEA, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and authorities in Switzerland, Greece and France, Marwa said three hotels linked to the suspect were placed under professional asset managers rather than shut down.
He explained that the measure was designed to preserve the properties as going concerns and protect their value pending the outcome of the trial.
Marwa further highlighted the use of unexplained wealth and living beyond legitimate means as investigative triggers, as well as the interlocutory sale of perishable and depreciating assets to prevent their value from being lost before final judgment.
According to him, the approach has now been institutionalised under Nigeria’s National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030, ensuring that financial disruption of drug trafficking organisations remains a sustained national priority.
Summing up the NDLEA’s approach in three principles — speed over sequence, preservation of value and institutionalisation — Marwa acknowledged persistent challenges, including delays in mutual legal assistance, limited forensic accounting capacity and the need to balance the rights of accused persons with the State’s responsibility to preserve assets pending trial.
He called for faster international cooperation mechanisms and stronger cross-border recognition of non-conviction-based forfeiture orders.
Marwa thanked the Centre for Geopolitics, the organisers of the Cambridge symposium and the session chair, Justice Wendy Tien, for the opportunity to share Nigeria’s experience, while reaffirming the NDLEA’s readiness to deepen collaboration with jurisdictions and institutions committed to dismantling the financial architecture of drug trafficking.
