NDLEA Chairman Calls for Action to Protect Girls from Abuse and Drug Risks

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has called for stronger protection of girls against poverty, abuse and other vulnerabilities that he said expose women and young people to drug abuse and exploitation.

Speaking at the launch of In The Shadow of the Neem Tree, a book by his daughter, Barrister Mariam Marwa-Abdu, in Kaduna on Saturday, Marwa said safeguarding girls was essential to strengthening families and improving national development.

He urged traditional rulers to work alongside government and civil society organisations to address practices and social conditions that leave girls vulnerable.

“As Chairman of NDLEA, I see firsthand how poverty, abuse and lack of education drive women and young people towards drug abuse and exploitation,” he said, adding that advocacy and education were key to preventing the problem.

Marwa described the book as an important contribution to the campaign against early marriage, saying the practice deprives girls of education, good health and opportunities to realise their potential.

He commended the author for using her legal background and writing to highlight the challenges faced by young girls and encouraged wider public engagement with the book’s message.

Mrs Mariam Marwa-Abdu, founder of the Women and Children’s Rights and Empowerment Foundation (WCREF), said the novel reflects more than a decade of advocacy through her organisation, which she established in 2011 to promote the rights of women and children.

The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, represented by the District Head of Basawa, Architect Haruna Abubakar Bamalli, said he hoped the event would inspire positive social change and contribute to the development of individuals and communities.