Screen farmland buyers to stop drug cartels, Nigeria's drug agency chief urges monarchs

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), has appealed to traditional rulers and community leaders to scrutinize individuals seeking to purchase farmlands. His plea aims to prevent drug cartels from exploiting rural areas to establish clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.

The urgent call comes in the wake of recent discoveries of industrial-scale clandestine meth labs in forest areas of Ogun and Oyo states, which authorities allege were operated by a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel. Marwa emphasized the need for vigilance, particularly in the South-West region, urging royal fathers and community leaders to monitor strangers within their communities and forests.

"Royal fathers and community leaders in the South-West and the country as a whole must pay attention to activities of strangers in their forests. Also, those seeking to buy farmlands in rural communities must be properly vetted," Marwa stated at the 10th Akinale Day celebration. He stressed that prospective farmland buyers should undergo thorough screening to block criminal elements from using isolated locations for illicit drug production.

Marwa also called for a nationwide partnership between traditional institutions, parents, and the NDLEA to tackle substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking. He highlighted that drug abuse affects all social strata and urged parents to closely monitor their children for early signs of substance abuse. The NDLEA chief underscored the critical role of traditional institutions in reaching and influencing young people at the grassroots, stating the agency cannot succeed without their active support.

“

Royal fathers and community leaders in the South-West and the country as a whole must pay attention to activities of strangers in their forests. Also, those seeking to buy farmlands in rural communities must be properly vetted.