The drug war just got real, NDLEA officers are now packing AK-47s to take on Nigeria’s most ruthless cartels.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency isn’t messing about anymore. For the first time in its 36-year history, the NDLEA has officially added AK-47 rifles and HS-9/CF98A pistols to its kit. Why? Because the cartels they’re up against are now “armed, organised, and ruthless”, and sending officers in without proper firepower just isn’t on.

NDLEA boss, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), made it clear on Monday at the launch of a special Train-the-Trainer Course on Weapon Handling at the NDLEA Academy in Jos, Plateau State.

“This programme is not just about firearms,” Marwa said, via his Chief of Staff Col. Murtala Aminu. “It is about the preservation of lives and the projection of institutional strength. It would be unconscionable for this Agency to send men and women into harm’s way without the tools and training to protect themselves and the public they serve.”

According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the arms deal kicked off back in 2023 with China North Industries Corporation. Thousands of firearms and rounds of ammunition are now on the way, with the Nigerian Air Force set to help airlift them to NDLEA commands nationwide. A proper distribution and accountability framework is already signed off.

The plan? The first batch of trainees were handpicked on merit from different commands. They’ll head back to their units to run a mandatory one-month weapons training for all personnel before any guns hit the streets.

Marwa didn’t mince his words with them: “You are the first. You are the standard-bearers. Weapons handling is not a privilege; it is a grave responsibility. Every firearm must be treated with the seriousness it demands at all times.” He stressed that there’ll be zero tolerance for negligence, it’s all about restraint, sound judgement, and sticking to the rule of law.

He also gave a nod to President Bola Tinubu for backing the agency’s beefed-up operations, and to the Office of the National Security Adviser for supplying the initial batch of firearms that got the training started.

For Marwa, this is the “next chapter” in NDLEA’s transformation. “We have recorded unprecedented seizures, dismantled criminal networks and brought justice to traffickers who once believed themselves untouchable,” he said. “The induction of more arms into our operational inventory must be written with honour.”

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