Nigeria seeks global action to combat emerging drug trafficking threats

Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), has called for an urgent strengthening of regional and international cooperation to identify and manage emerging new jurisdictional manifestations of drug trafficking.

Marwa made the appeal,yesterday, while speaking at the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, taking place in Kyoto, Japan.

“The criminals and organised criminal groups have deployed new strategies through increased online criminal activities in a bid to navigate the global shut down of traditional trafficking routes following the COVID-19 pandemic. There is, therefore, an urgent need to strengthen regional and international cooperation to identify and manage the various jurisdictional manifestations of this ugly trend,” he told the global audience while speaking for Nigeria on the particular agenda item.

While updating the world on efforts being made by Nigeria to respond to the drug scourge, the NDLEA chief executive said the country “is addressing and countering illicit trafficking in drugs through an integrated and balanced approach implemented under the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP), which was first introduced from 2015 to 2019 and, now revised for another five years, from 2021 to 2025.

“The NDCMP outlines strategies to neutralise threats to law enforcement efforts by strengthening regional and international cooperation in countering illicit trade and trafficking in narcotic drugs. One example of such is ‘Operation Eagle’, which was a joint operation with select countries to counter the menace of illicit drugs.

“Nigeria has adopted a holistic national anti-corruption strategy that provides entry point for both state and non-state actors to contribute to the fight against corruption at all levels. We are actively implementing the Justice Sector Reform Strategy covering issues such as International Cooperation Mechanisms, Mutual Legal Assistance and reform of the Criminal Justice System. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act enacted in 2015 has expedited trial of corruption cases and resulted in deterrent sanctions for the corrupt,” he said..