The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has called for a more aggressive financial war against drug traffickers, saying the battle against narcotics cannot be won by arrests and convictions alone.
Marwa said drug barons would remain a threat if they were allowed to retain the wealth accumulated through their alleged criminal activities, stressing that dismantling their financial empires must become a central part of the fight against organised crime.
He made the remarks while presenting a paper 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 at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The symposium attracted judges, law enforcement officials, financial intelligence specialists, academics and experts from different parts of the world to discuss emerging strategies for tackling economic and organised crime.
Marwa argued that the success of a criminal justice system should not be judged only by the number of suspects arrested or convicted, but also by its ability to prevent criminals from enjoying the proceeds of their crimes.
He maintained that a trafficker who goes to prison but retains his illicit fortune could still provide financial support for criminal networks and facilitate new operations.
According to him, the real objective should be to lawfully and swiftly deprive criminals of the proceeds of their activities while ensuring that seized properties and businesses retain their value.
The NDLEA boss said the agency had consequently made financial investigations, asset tracing and recovery key components of its strategy against drug trafficking organisations.
He compared arresting a drug trafficker without attacking his financial base to cutting a weed while leaving its roots untouched, warning that criminal wealth could eventually re-emerge through front companies, associates, new identities or foreign jurisdictions.
Marwa outlined six measures being used by the NDLEA to improve asset recovery, relying on the NDLEA Act 2004, the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
He cited the recovery of the Hook Hotel, allegedly connected to a fugitive drug suspect, as an example of the agency’s use of non-conviction-based forfeiture.
According to him, the property was eventually sold for $4.2 million, with the proceeds transferred to the Federal Government’s forfeited assets account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Marwa said the case sent a clear message that fleeing the country or evading arrest would not guarantee the preservation of illicit wealth.
He disclosed that NDLEA investigators and prosecutors now collaborate from the early stages of investigations, a development he said had accelerated efforts to obtain asset restraint orders.
He further revealed that within one month, the agency had frozen bank accounts containing more than $7 million and obtained interim forfeiture orders covering assets worth billions of naira allegedly connected to a fugitive methamphetamine trafficking syndicate.
The properties reportedly include filling stations, multi-storey buildings and luxury vehicles.
Marwa also spoke about the case of Nigerian businessman Amadi Simon, who was arrested in Switzerland through a joint operation involving the NDLEA, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and law enforcement authorities in Switzerland, Greece and France.
He said three hotels allegedly linked to Simon had been placed under professional asset management to preserve their commercial value while court proceedings continue.
The NDLEA chairman explained that the approach was intended to prevent businesses from collapsing or properties from losing value before the conclusion of legal proceedings.
He said investigators were also increasingly relying on unexplained wealth and lifestyles that appeared inconsistent with legitimate income as potential indicators of proceeds of crime.
Another measure, he explained, was the use of interlocutory sales for assets that could quickly depreciate or perish, thereby preventing their value from being wiped out before final court decisions.
Marwa disclosed that the financial disruption strategy had been incorporated into Nigeria’s National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030, signalling a long-term commitment to dismantling the financial infrastructure supporting drug trafficking.
He summarised the NDLEA’s approach in three principles: speed over sequence, preservation of value and institutionalisation.
However, he acknowledged that challenges remain, including delays in mutual legal assistance, inadequate forensic accounting capacity and the delicate balance between protecting the rights of accused persons and preserving assets pending trial.
He called for faster international cooperation and stronger mechanisms for recognising and enforcing non-conviction-based forfeiture orders across borders.
Marwa said the NDLEA would continue to strengthen cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies and international institutions to dismantle the financial networks that enable drug trafficking organisations to survive.
He expressed appreciation to the Centre for Geopolitics, the symposium organisers and Judge Wendy Tien, who chaired the session, for providing a platform for global experts to exchange ideas on strengthening the fight against economic and organised crime.
Source:@ZagazolaMakama
