The United States has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for its recent successes in the fight against illicit drugs, promising to strengthen its partnership with the Agency through continued support for operations, training and capacity development.
The commendation came on Thursday, when the Country Director of the United States International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) in Nigeria, Derek Tolliver, led a delegation from the US Government Accountability Office on a visit to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.
Tolliver said the visit was part of efforts to deepen the existing partnership between the United States and the NDLEA and build on the successes recorded through previous INL-supported programmes.
He also congratulated the Agency on what he described as its remarkable growth and achievements under the leadership of its Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd).
“Big congratulations on all the successes over the past months with your leadership and under your leadership. It is phenomenal how much this organisation has grown,” Tolliver said.
Responding, Marwa congratulated Tolliver on his appointment and expressed appreciation for the enduring partnership between Nigeria and the United States.
He said the NDLEA’s operational successes could not be separated from the support it has received from INL and other US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), AFRICOM and the FBI.
Marwa particularly highlighted the provision of operational vehicles and the modernisation of the Agency’s forensic laboratories as areas where US support has made a significant difference.
He recalled that when he assumed office in 2021, one of his earliest actions was to distribute INL-provided operational vehicles to NDLEA commands across the country.
According to him, the support has also transformed the Agency’s forensic capabilities.
Before the intervention, he said, the NDLEA had only one forensic laboratory in Lagos serving the entire country. INL subsequently supported the modernisation of the Lagos facility with improved infrastructure and equipment, while also supporting additional forensic laboratories in Abuja and Enugu.
The expanded forensic network, Marwa said, has become an important tool in the Agency’s efforts to identify illicit substances and uncover the chemicals used in their production.
One of the clearest examples, he said, came during the NDLEA’s recent discovery and dismantling of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory hidden deep in a forest in Ogun State.
Marwa explained that forensic equipment provided through US support enabled NDLEA experts to analyse precursor chemicals recovered from the facility.
The analysis revealed that one of the chemicals could be used in the production of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid that has become a major public health and law enforcement concern globally.
According to Marwa, the discovery demonstrated the importance of modern forensic technology in detecting emerging threats that might otherwise escape attention.
“Without these modern tools, that would have gone unnoticed because it was just a small part of the precursor chemicals,” he said.
The discovery is significant for Nigeria because early detection of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals gives law enforcement authorities an opportunity to disrupt potential production and trafficking networks before the substances become more widely available.
While thanking the US Government for its assistance, the NDLEA Chairman called for further support, particularly in logistics, training and other areas that can enhance the Agency’s operational capabilities.
The engagement comes at a time when drug trafficking organisations are increasingly adopting sophisticated methods, while the emergence of synthetic drugs and their precursor chemicals presents new challenges for law enforcement agencies.
For Nigeria, the NDLEA’s collaboration with international partners such as INL is therefore important not only for drug seizures and arrests, but also for intelligence gathering, forensic analysis, personnel development and the prevention of potentially dangerous substances from reaching communities.
The meeting between the NDLEA and US officials consequently underscored a shared commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to detect, disrupt and dismantle illicit drug production and trafficking networks.