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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) of the United States Government has commended the recent operational successes of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), assuring the agency of continued support and partnership.
The commendation was made by the Country Director of INL Nigeria, Derek Tolliver, when he led a delegation from the US Government Accountability Office on a visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Tolliver, who said the visit was aimed at strengthening existing cooperation between the US and Nigeria, congratulated Marwa and the NDLEA on the agency’s recent achievements.
He said: “The purpose of this meeting was to make the initial introductions, to let you know that I’m here. We want to continue the great work and build upon the work of our previous INL programmes here.
“I am certainly looking forward to following up with the NDLEA, me and my team in our office at the US Embassy in Abuja, later, to move our programme goals forward.
“Lastly, I want to say 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, the accolades that are now shown in the media. So, I do want to recognise that.”
Responding, Marwa congratulated Tolliver on his appointment as INL Country Director in Nigeria and expressed appreciation for the enduring relationship between the Nigerian and US governments.
He particularly thanked the INL and other US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for their support to the NDLEA.
Marwa said the agency’s successes in recent years could not be separated from the assistance it had received from the US government.
“I would like to state very clearly that whatever successes that we have had in this agency, the INL is part of it. No question about it,” he said.
According to him, the INL had supported the NDLEA with operational vehicles, which had enhanced the ability of its personnel to carry out operations across the country.
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Marwa recalled that shortly after assuming office as chairman of the agency in 2021, one of his earliest actions was to distribute INL-provided vehicles to various commands.
He also highlighted the role of US-supported forensic laboratories in the agency’s drug enforcement operations.
“Now, the forensic labs: we used to have just the one in Lagos for the whole country. The INL modernised it with new equipment, better-constructed buildings, and, on top of that, the additional forensic laboratories that were introduced here in Abuja to cater for the North, and another one in Enugu to cater for the South-East and South-South,” he said.
Marwa disclosed that the forensic equipment provided with US support had recently helped the agency identify a precursor chemical linked to fentanyl production following the discovery and dismantling of a methamphetamine laboratory in a deep forest in Ogun State.
He said the NDLEA had relied on the modern forensic equipment to analyse precursor chemicals recovered from the clandestine laboratory.
“In fact, with the seizure about two months ago and dismantlement of the meth lab in the deep forest of Ogun State, we relied on the forensic equipment to determine the precursor chemicals.
“And we discovered one of the precursor chemicals was in fact for the production of fentanyl, which is bad news. Nobody wants to hear that word,” Marwa said.
The NDLEA chairman stressed the significance of the discovery, noting that the substance was only a small part of the precursor chemicals recovered from the laboratory and could have gone undetected without the modern forensic tools.
“It is bad enough to be dealing with meth laboratories and we very much appreciate that contribution. Without these modern tools, that would have gone unnoticed because it was just a small part of the precursor chemicals. That was really very important,” he added.
Marwa subsequently appealed for additional support from the US government, particularly in the areas of logistics, operational equipment and training, to further strengthen the NDLEA’s capacity to combat illicit drug production and trafficking across the country.
Tolliver, on his part, reaffirmed the US government’s commitment to building on the existing partnership and advancing joint programmes aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to tackle the illicit drug trade.
