As Nigeria battles 10 million cannabis users and 15 million kilos of seized drugs, NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa says lenient courts are the weak link — and he’s naming names.
Abuja: Nigeria has seized 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs in five years, yet traffickers keep returning. NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa says the reason is clear: offenders payfines rather than serve prison terms.
Speaking Tuesday at the unveiling of National Minimum Standards for implementing the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, Marwa urged Federal High Court judges to impose strict jail sentences, insisting fines have failed to deter traffickers.
He warned that Nigeria’s 10 million cannabis users represent a “worrisome” crisis, with cannabis accounting for up to 75 per cent of recent seizures. To curb supply, the NDLEA has engaged farmers in Ondo State, encouraging them to abandon cannabis for food and cash crops — a shift Marwa says is already yielding results.
He praised the Attorney General of the Federation and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for supporting NDLEA initiatives, but stressed that tougher sentencing remains essential to breaking the cycle of drug abuse and trafficking.