Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
NDLEA says proposed MoU will strengthen bilateral efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse across Africa.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Egypt are set to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will facilitate intelligence sharing, joint operations and training.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed this on Tuesday while receiving the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, during a courtesy visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Marwa said the proposed agreement would institutionalise cooperation between both countries and enhance efforts to combat the growing threat posed by international drug trafficking syndicates.
“The drug problem is a global challenge. Nowhere is untouched. The drug menace is everywhere in the world, and it is for this reason that we have this kind of collaboration,” he said.
He noted that the NDLEA already works with international partners, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), UK Border Force, French Police, German Criminal Police, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau, and the UK Home Office International Operations.
Marwa said the agency was excited to extend such cooperation to Egypt through the proposed MoU.
He warned that increasing pressure on global drug cartels had forced them to seek alternative routes through Africa, making stronger collaboration among African countries essential.
“We’ve had recent headaches because of the pressure from elsewhere, so the drug cartels are trying to find other alternatives in Africa, but we have to stay united and push them out of our continent,” he said.
Highlighting recent operational successes, Marwa recalled the dismantling of a methamphetamine laboratory worth an estimated 362 million dollars, allegedly operated by Mexican nationals in a remote part of Nigeria.
He added that the agency had also recently uncovered and dismantled another methamphetamine laboratory linked to Mexican drug traffickers in a different state.
According to him, the planned agreement with Egypt would pave the way for more structured and sustained collaboration between the anti-narcotics agencies of both countries.
Speaking during the visit, Egyptian Ambassador Mohammed Fouad stressed the need for Nigeria and Egypt, as two of Africa’s leading nations, to work together in addressing the continent’s growing narcotics challenge.
He said the visit was aimed at exploring areas of cooperation, understanding the NDLEA’s operational priorities, and identifying ways Egypt could support Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign.
“Egypt and Nigeria, being two prominent African countries, should be able to address the challenge of combating narcotics from a continental perspective because it is impacting societies across Africa,” Fouad said.
The envoy added that enhanced bilateral cooperation would contribute to curbing illicit drug trafficking and strengthening law enforcement efforts in both countries.