February 4, 2026 l By Dalena Reporters
LAGOS, Nigeria — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has renewed its commitment to intensify the fight against illicit narcotics, announcing a joint initiative with a civil society group to pursue not only drug traffickers but also the properties and assets used to harbour them across Lagos State. The move signals a strategic shift in anti-narcotics enforcement toward targeting the financial and real-estate interests that underwrite drug distribution networks.
The pledge was made public on Tuesday in a statement from Eagle Crime Awareness and Prevention Initiative (ECAPI), a Lagos-based civil society organisation, following a large-scale anti-drug advocacy campaign organised by the Lagos State Strategic Command of the NDLEA in collaboration with the group.
During the awareness drive through major drug-prone communities in the state, ECAPI founder and president Sam Adams emphasised that “drugs are destroying lives, health, dreams and even the economy,” and reiterated a zero-tolerance policy toward drug sales. As part of the campaign, Adams warned landlords that properties knowingly used for drug sales and harbouring dealers could be targeted for seizure under relevant enforcement powers.
Echoing that stance, Abubakar Wali, Commander of the NDLEA Lagos State Command, said the agency is reinforcing its enforcement strategy to include asset recovery and forfeiture as vital tools in dismantling drug-related criminal enterprises. He stressed that property and assets used as “instrumentalities of crime” will be no longer spared in the agency’s ongoing crackdown.
“In addition to arrests and prosecutions, depriving drug dealers of their illicit wealth and strongholds sends a powerful deterrent message,” Wali stated at the event, according to the ECAPI release.
Asset seizure has been part of the NDLEA’s evolving strategy in recent years. The agency previously auctioned off forfeited properties acquired by traffickers and used proceeds to support enforcement efforts, signalling a sustained focus on hitting drug networks in both street-level and financial dimensions.
Experts note that targeting assets — from real estate to vehicles and cash — not only disrupts the profitability of narcotics operations but also strengthens prosecutorial leverage, as criminal proceedings tied to money-laundering and proceeds of crime statutes can accompany traditional trafficking charges.
The campaign in Lagos is part of broader national efforts by the NDLEA under Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), who has emphasised tougher enforcement since beginning his second term in 2025. Marwa’s leadership has reiterated that enhanced asset forfeiture frameworks and tighter inter-agency cooperation remain central to combating both domestic drug abuse and transnational trafficking schemes.
Civil society advocates said the joint campaign aims to deepen community awareness and foster collaboration between residents, law enforcement, and property owners to dismantle enabling environments for drug distribution. Local residents and business owners welcomed the initiative but called for clear guidelines to protect innocent parties and ensure due process is followed in any enforcement action.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with rising drug abuse and organised trafficking networks, authorities appear resolved to leverage both conventional law enforcement and asset seizure mechanisms to disrupt the economic foundations of the illicit drug trade.