The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its Egyptian counterpart to enhance intelligence sharing, joint operations and training in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The agency, through it’s NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Marwa, disclosed that the proposed agreement would strengthen cooperation between both countries in tackling the growing global drug menace as well as solidify the longstanding cordial relationship between Nigeria and Egypt for a strong foundation to ensure action against drug cartels operating across Africa
Marwa made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, when the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, paid him a courtesy visit at the NDLEA headquarters to seek closer collaboration in combating narcotics trafficking.
The agency’s boss noted that NDLEA already collaborates with several international agencies, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Border Force, the French Police, the German Criminal Police and India’s Narcotics Control Bureau to curb the increasing pressure on drug syndicates in other regions had forced cartels to seek alternative routes and bases in Africa, making continental cooperation more urgent.
Marwa cited recent successes by the agency, including the dismantling of a methamphetamine laboratory worth $362 million allegedly operated by Mexican nationals in a remote forest location in Nigeria, and expressed confidence that the signing of the MoU would institutionalise cooperation between the two countries’ anti-narcotics agencies and also propel more achievements by the body.
Fouad said that Egypt and Nigeria, as two of Africa’s leading nations, had a responsibility to address drug trafficking from a continental perspective.
He emphasised that stronger bilateral cooperation would help both countries confront a challenge affecting societies across the African continent.