President Bola Tinubu has reappointed Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for a further five-year term, extending his leadership of the agency until 2031.
Marwa’s renewed tenure follows his initial appointment by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021. Before assuming the chairmanship of NDLEA, Marwa served as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 until December 2020.
Born in Adamawa State, Marwa is a former military governor of both Lagos and Borno States. A graduate of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973 and held several key military posts, including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade and Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma.
His military and diplomatic career extended internationally as he served as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC, and later as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa also holds advanced academic credentials, including a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
During his leadership of the NDLEA, Marwa has overseen significant achievements in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking and abuse. The agency has apprehended approximately 73,000 drug traffickers and seized over 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs. His tenure has also been marked by nationwide public campaigns aimed at curbing drug abuse across the country.
Upon announcing Marwa’s reappointment, President Tinubu expressed strong endorsement of his work, stating, “Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your onerous efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. I urge you not to relent in tracking the merchants of hard drugs, out to destroy our people, especially the young ones.”
The appointment was communicated through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on November 14, 2025.
