The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has called for stronger involvement of traditional rulers, parents and community leaders in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking. Speaking on Saturday, 25th July 2026 as Chairman of the 10th Akinale Day and 1st Coronation Anniversary of Oba Oluseyi Ayodeji Adewole Adediran, Otileta I, Towulade of Owu Akinale in Ogun State, Marwa said the war on drugs cannot be won without monarchs who understand local youth dynamics. He described his attendance as a “pilgrimage of friendship,” noting his close ties with the Oba spanning nearly 20 years since the monarch’s days as leader of Lisabi Youths.
Marwa warned that drug abuse cuts across class and location, affecting both urban and rural communities. He urged parents to revive core parenting values by closely monitoring their children and watching for early warning signs, and appealed to young people to reject illicit drugs, calling substance abuse a “false escape” that compounds problems. He also charged the Royal Council and community leaders in Owu Akinale to build local advocacy networks that will shut out drug peddlers and support residents struggling with addiction.
Citing the recent discovery of Nigerian-Mexican cartel-run industrial methamphetamine laboratories hidden in forests across Ogun and Oyo states, the NDLEA boss urged royal fathers nationwide to be vigilant about strangers and unusual activities in their forests. He added that anyone seeking to purchase farmland in rural areas must be properly vetted to prevent criminal syndicates from using remote communities for large-scale drug production. The anniversary event was attended by political leaders, prominent traditional rulers and other dignitaries.
