President Bola Tinubu has officially declined assent to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Amendment Bill, 2025, recently passed by the National Assembly.
The bill sought to empower the NDLEA to retain a portion of the proceeds from drug-related crimes—an arrangement that contradicts existing legal provisions.
The President’s position was conveyed to the House of Representatives on Thursday during plenary, as read by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
Citing Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, President Tinubu explained that the bill, if signed into law, would violate provisions governing the handling of criminal proceeds.
According to the president, current law mandates that all proceeds from criminal activities be deposited into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account. He further stressed that any allocation or disbursement of such funds to law enforcement or recovery agencies must be sanctioned by the President and must receive the necessary approvals from both the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.
With this development, the proposed changes will not take effect unless the National Assembly decides to rework and represent the bill in a form that complies with constitutional and legal stipulations.
