Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mohamed Buba Marwa, has called for a unified strategic approach to strengthen cooperation among security agencies and civil society in addressing Nigeria’s growing insecurity challenges.
Marwa made the remarks on Thursday during the opening of an Army War College interagency seminar in Abuja, themed around bridging intelligence gaps among security institutions for improved national security.
He stressed that enhanced interagency intelligence sharing is critical to strengthening national security and ensuring more coordinated responses to threats across the country.
According to him, Nigeria’s security challenges—including insurgency, banditry, drug trafficking, and violent cultism—are interconnected and cannot be effectively tackled by any single agency acting in isolation.
Marwa advocated a “whole-of-society” approach that brings together security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, educators, the media, and ordinary citizens into a unified intelligence and security framework.
He noted that existing partnerships between the NDLEA and international bodies such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Drug Enforcement Administration, and INTERPOL, as well as cooperation with neighbouring countries, provide a strong model for improved collaboration.
Marwa also proposed the creation of joint analysis cells to ensure that intelligence gathered from local communities is rapidly transmitted to the military, police, and other security agencies in real time.
He further recommended regular interagency briefings, shared intelligence databases, and a more unified command structure to close gaps often exploited by criminal networks, while maintaining respect for human rights and public trust.
According to him, effective coordination is essential to converting intelligence into actionable outcomes capable of delivering lasting peace and security in Nigeria.
