Follow Us on Google
…As NDLEA, US-DEA strengthen partnership to deliver deadly blows to the merchants of death
By Henry Umahi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) have strengthened their partnership to combat drug cartels and weaken their ability to fund and fuel other organised crimes, including violent extremism and terrorism.
Chairman and chief executive officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) and the Country Attaché of DEA in Nigeria, Ms. Daphne Morrison, made the commitment at a bilateral strategic counter-narcotics workshop in Abuja.
According to the NDLEA chief executive officer, the workshop was both strategic and timely because it aims to align law enforcement leadership from Nigeria and the United States on the most significant drug-related threats affecting the two countries, as well as the wider international community.
He said: “Our shared objective is to engage in frank, solution-driven discussions that will culminate in a joint declaration of shared priorities and a coordinated action plan for the next twelve months.”
Marwa stated that the global drug problem continues to evolve in complexity and scale, and that “of particular concern is the well-established nexus between illicit drug trafficking and terrorism.
“Drug proceeds have become a major source of financing for terrorist networks and violent extremist groups around the world. This dangerous linkage, rightly described by the United States as narco-terrorism, poses a grave threat to global peace, security, and stability.
“The proceeds from the poison sold on our streets are the same funds used to purchase the weapons that destabilize our regions.
“By attacking the drug trade, we are simultaneously starving the engines of terrorism.”
He further stated that Nigeria, given its strategic geographic location, is increasingly being targeted by international drug trafficking organizations.
Marwa added: “Recent developments indicate that as enforcement pressure intensifies on drug cartels in Latin America particularly by the President Trump Administration, these criminal networks are shifting their focus and operations towards Africa, with Nigeria becoming a key transit hub.
“Today, a significant proportion of illicit drugs entering Nigeria are not intended for local consumption alone; rather, they are destined for onward trafficking to Europe, North America, and Asia.
“This underscores the transnational nature of the threat we face and reinforces the urgency of coordinated international action.”
The former Lagos military administrator said the workshop remains critical to deepen collaboration, enhance intelligence-driven operations, and build a unified front against drug cartels and their associated criminal networks.
“The NDLEA is fully committed to this partnership. We are excited about the prospects it holds and confident that, through sustained cooperation with the DEA and the broader support of the United States Government, we can achieve meaningful and measurable outcomes.”
Expressing appreciation to the US government for its consistent support to Nigeria over the years, Marwa noted that the “key output of this workshop will be a clearly defined framework for cooperation, in which Nigeria will take leadership in the execution of agreed action points within its jurisdiction, while the United States will ensure alignment with its respective national interests and reinforce its commitment to coordinated action against our common threats.”
Ms. Daphne Morrison acknowledged the “tremendous” successes recorded by the NDLEA under Marwa’s watch.
Morrison said: “I would like to start by acknowledging the tremendous strides NDLEA has made under the leadership of Chairman Marwa. The record-breaking seizures, arrests, and convictions over the past few years are a testament to his dedication and the successes of his war against drug abuse.
“This workshop is not merely a meeting, it is a declaration of our unified stand against transnational criminal organizations that seek to turn Nigeria into a drug trafficking hub.
Other News
“We are here to align our efforts for 2026. Our goal is to ensure that the collaboration between the DEA and NDLEA is a seamless transition, proactive and geared toward results, disrupting drug financial networks, and taking down high-level targets.”
She volunteered that the workshop will focus on strengthening intelligence sharing, enhancing joint operations, and providing training that empowers NDLEA operatives to take on these complex modern challenges.
She further said: “The strength of our partnership lies in our shared responsibility and collective action,” calling on participants from both sides to use the opportunity provided by the workshop “to build a robust, actionable, and innovative strategy to protect our communities, empower our personnel, and secure a safer future for Nigeria and the United States.”
Meanwhile, the NDLEA has intensified its efforts to win the war against drug trafficking leading to the interception of a large consignment of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command, Lagos.
A statement by the NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja said the consignment was concealed in the heads of imported dry stockfish.
Babafemi said that operatives of the NDLEA also arrested a key member of the syndicate involved in shipping the illicit substance across the world, especially to India.
He said that the smashing of the drug syndicate followed intelligence on their trans-border criminal activities.
He said that this led to a well-coordinated sting operation by operatives of the agency’s strategic command at the MMIA at the Ojo area of Lagos on March 19.
“In the course of the operation, three jumbo-sized bags were found in the possession of the kingpin.”
“A search of the bags led to the recovery of 237 wraps of cocaine buried in the heads of imported dry stock fish locally known as “Okporoko.
“The cocaine pellets have a gross weight of 5.80 kilogrammes. The consignment was intended for export to Delhi, India,” he said.
Babafemi also said that in another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on March 25, intercepted two illicit consignments heading to the United Kingdom at a courier company.
He said that in one of the shipments that originated from Cotonou, Benin Republic, 1.9 kilogrammes of methamphetamine were found concealed in automobile filters.
He said that the second parcel contained 40 ampoules of Morphine Sulphate and nine ampoules of Fentanyl.
He added that in yet another major interdiction operation, operatives of a Special Operations Unit (SOU) of the agency, on March 26, raided the house of a female head of a notorious drug syndicate.
Babafemi said that the 46-year-old suspect was arrested at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos, with her salesgirl.
“No fewer than 135 blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 76.30kg, were recovered from them.”
“The suspect, popularly known as Iya Ghana, trades in local fabric on the surface, but beneath, she runs a drug distribution network between Nigeria and Ghana.”
Same day, the SOU operatives also arrested another suspect at Doyin bus stop, Surulere, Lagos, following credible intelligence.
“A total of 78 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 41kg were seized from him,” he said.
Babafemi quoted Marwa as commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, DOGI commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between the NDLEA’s drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
