Nigeria and Egypt are set to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse, with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) expressing readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its Egyptian counterpart on intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, during a courtesy visit.
Marwa said the proposed agreement would institutionalise collaboration between both countries in tackling the growing transnational drug trade, stressing that the global nature of narcotics trafficking demands stronger international partnerships.
He noted that Nigeria already maintains operational collaborations with several international law enforcement agencies, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL), the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), UK Border Force, French Police, German Criminal Police, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau and the UK’s Home Office International Operations.
“We are very excited that we’re going to collaborate with Egypt through an MoU,” Marwa said, adding that African countries must remain united against drug cartels seeking to exploit the continent as pressure mounts on their operations elsewhere.
He warned that international criminal networks were increasingly shifting their operations to Africa but said Nigerian authorities had recorded significant successes in disrupting their activities.
Marwa cited the recent dismantling of a methamphetamine laboratory valued at about 362 million dollars, allegedly operated by Mexican drug traffickers deep inside a Nigerian forest, as well as the destruction of another meth lab linked to Mexican nationals in a separate operation.
According to him, the proposed MoU would provide a structured framework for intelligence exchange, joint enforcement operations and enhanced cooperation between the anti-narcotics agencies of both countries.
Earlier, Ambassador Fouad said Egypt regarded Nigeria as a strategic partner in addressing the continent’s drug trafficking challenges, describing cooperation between the two African powers as critical to curbing the illicit narcotics trade.
He said his visit was aimed at exploring areas of collaboration, understanding the operational priorities of the NDLEA and identifying ways Egypt could support Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign.
Fouad stressed that combating narcotics required a continental approach, noting that the menace continued to threaten communities across Africa and underscored the need for stronger bilateral and regional cooperation to confront the growing challenge.
