By Lizzy Chirkpi
President Bola Tinubu has transmitted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Bill 2026 to the Senate, seeking to consolidate Nigeria’s legal framework for combating drug-related offences.
The bill, transmitted on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, seeks to repeal the existing laws governing the NDLEA and Indian hemp, replacing them with a unified framework for enforcing drug-related laws.
In a letter to the Senate, read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary, Tinubu said the proposed legislation would repeal the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, and the Indian Hemp Act, Cap. I16, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
“The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill 2026 seeks to repeal the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, and the Indian Hemp Act, Cap. I16, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and to enact a consolidated framework to enforce the law against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of hard drugs,” the letter stated.
The proposed legislation is intended to bring the provisions of the two existing laws under a single statutory framework for tackling drug-related offences, including the cultivation, processing, sale and trafficking of prohibited substances.
If passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President, the bill would replace the existing laws identified in the proposal and establish a consolidated legal basis for enforcing drug control measures.
Tinubu urged the Senate to give the bill expeditious consideration.
“While looking forward to the usual expeditious consideration of this submission, please accept, Distinguished Senate President and Distinguished Senators, the assurances of my highest consideration,” the letter stated.
The bill will now undergo legislative consideration by the Senate before any further action is taken on the proposed reforms.