Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Drug Enforcement Authority (NDEA) of the United Arab Emirates, marking a new chapter in the fight against drug trafficking between both countries.
The MoU was signed yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), described the agreement as the culmination of years of steady engagement between the two agencies, noting that it would deepen intelligence-sharing and joint enforcement action along the Nigeria-UAE corridor.
Marwa disclosed that between 2021 and 2026, NDLEA intercepted about 354.7kg of illicit drugs, including cocaine, cannabis, tramadol, rohypnol, ecstasy and khat, concealed in consignments going to the UAE, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of 47 suspects. He said this underscored the urgency of the new partnership.
He further highlighted NDLEA’s nationwide record between January 2021 and July 2026, which included over 91,000 arrests (among them 243 drug barons), the seizure of more than 15.5 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, 16,469 convictions, and the counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of over 53,000 drug users.
He added that the Agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign had reached nearly 5.9 million Nigerians through community and school engagements.
The NDLEA boss said the new partnership with NDEA would build on the exchange of liaison personnel, sharing of operational information, and technical cooperation already established between both agencies, including plans for the UAE to provide Nigerian travellers a comprehensive list of prohibited items to guard against inadvertent violations.
In his remarks, the Chairman of NDEA, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad Al Nahyan, reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to working closely with Nigeria to disrupt trafficking networks exploiting the strong trade, travel and people-to-people ties between both nations, describing the MoU as a natural evolution of an already productive relationship.
Both agencies expressed confidence that the agreement would translate into stronger intelligence-sharing, more successful joint operations and the dismantling of trafficking networks operating along the Nigeria-UAE axis, in line with the shared global responsibility championed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).