The retired military officer served as governor of Lagos and Borno States during his military career. He graduated from the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). After commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1973, Marwa served in several key positions, including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and academic registrar at the NDA.He also represented Nigeria abroad as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC, and Defence Adviser to the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.He holds two postgraduate degrees: a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh (1983–85) and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (1985–86).
With this reappointment, Marwa is set to remain at the helm of the NDLEA until 2031, reinforcing continuity in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking and abuse.About Marwa Marwa, who hails from Adamawa State, was first appointed as NDLEA chairman by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021. Before his NDLEA tenure, he chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 to December 2020
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term.This was disclosed in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on November 14, 2025.“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term,” the statement read
Under Marwa’s leadership, the NDLEA has recorded significant successes. The agency has arrested over 73,000 drug mules and barons and seized more than 15 million kilogrammes of various hard drugs. It has also launched nationwide campaigns to curb drug abuse, raising awareness about the dangers of narcotics across the country.President Tinubu says Marwa’s reappointment shows confidence in his fight against drug trafficking and abuse.“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,” President Tinubu said.
NDLEA is Nigeria’s federal agency charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting and trafficking of hard drugsIn 2024, the agency arrested 18,500 suspected drug traffickers and seized 2.6 million kilograms of illicit drugs nationwide.The agency’s 2024 operational highlights include over 3,250 convictions, including 10 drug barons, destruction of more than 220 hectares of cannabis farms, counselling and rehabilitation of 8,200 drug abusers, and execution of over 3,000 sensitisation and advocacy programs across schools, markets, motor parks, workplaces, and communities.Marwa attributed the agency’s operational successes to support from international partners, especially the U.S. government, describing the collaboration as crucial in bolstering NDLEA’s
