National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Chairman Buba Marwa says anti narcotics campaigns cannot succeed fully unless drug traffickers are deprived of the wealth that finances criminal networks.
Marwa made the argument at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime in the United Kingdom.
He said the effectiveness of criminal justice should be measured not only by convictions but also by whether crime was made financially unprofitable.
The NDLEA chairman warned that traffickers who retained substantial assets after serving prison terms could finance new criminal operations.
He compared arresting traffickers without confiscating their wealth to cutting a weed while leaving the roots intact.
Marwa said the agency had developed a stronger focus on asset recovery under Nigerian drug, proceeds of crime and money laundering laws.
He cited the recovery and sale of the Hook Hotel, which was linked to a fugitive drug suspect.
The property was sold through a non conviction based forfeiture process for $4.2 million, according to the agency.
Proceeds were paid into the Federal Government’s forfeited assets account.
Marwa also said investigators and prosecutors were now integrated earlier in cases to accelerate restraint orders on suspected criminal assets.
He disclosed that the NDLEA recently froze bank accounts containing more than $7 million and obtained interim forfeiture orders covering filling stations, buildings and luxury vehicles allegedly linked to a methamphetamine network.
The allegations involving the suspects remain subject to legal proceedings.
Marwa also cited international cooperation that led to the arrest of suspected drug trafficker Amadi Simon in Switzerland.
Hotels linked to the suspect were placed under professional managers to preserve their value pending completion of legal processes.
The NDLEA chairman said unexplained wealth provisions, interlocutory sales and non conviction based forfeiture had become increasingly important tools.
Those measures have been incorporated into the National Drug Control Master Plan 2026 to 2030.
Marwa acknowledged difficulties involving international legal assistance and limited forensic accounting capacity.
He called for stronger cross border cooperation and wider recognition of asset forfeiture orders.
The NDLEA said dismantling the financial structure of drug trafficking would remain a central part of its strategy.
