Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), head of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, has proposed that couples planning to marry undergo compulsory drug screening. Speaking in Dutse at the inauguration of the Jigawa State Task Force on Drug Abuse Control, he argued that this testing should be a standard requirement similar to HIV and genotype checks.
Marwa explained that the NDLEA frequently manages situations where weddings are called off at the last minute because one partner is discovered to be using illegal substances. He emphasized that parents rarely knowingly consent to their children marrying drug users, and early screening could prevent the collapse of many homes.
The agency head encouraged the Jigawa state government to integrate this practice into its local drug control strategy. Governor Umar Namadi, who oversaw the signing of new executive orders regarding drug abuse and social reorientation, urged the new task force members to remain diligent in their duties. Namadi highlighted recent successes in the state, noting that the local NDLEA command has confiscated nearly 2,000 kilograms of drugs and secured 136 convictions. He requested further operational resources to bolster the agency’s impact in the region.
