Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Nigeria and Egypt are set to strengthen their partnership against illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will institutionalise intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building between the two countries’ anti-narcotics agencies.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), 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 deepen existing bilateral relations and provide a structured framework for cooperation in tackling the increasingly sophisticated operations of international drug cartels targeting Africa.
He described illicit drug trafficking as a transnational threat requiring coordinated international action, stressing that no country is immune from the growing menace.
“The drug problem is a global challenge. Nowhere is untouched. The drug menace is everywhere in the world,” Marwa said, adding that the NDLEA already maintains operational partnerships with several international agencies, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK Border Force, French and German law enforcement agencies, as well as India’s Narcotics Control Bureau.
He said the agency was enthusiastic about extending such collaboration to Egypt through a formal bilateral agreement.
“We are very excited that we’re going to collaborate with Egypt through an MoU. Drug cartels are increasingly looking for alternative routes in Africa because of sustained pressure elsewhere, and we must remain united to push them out of the continent,” he said.
Highlighting recent operational successes, Marwa revealed that the NDLEA had dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory valued at about $362 million, allegedly operated by Mexican nationals in a remote forest area in Nigeria.
He added that another methamphetamine laboratory linked to Mexican drug traffickers had also been destroyed in a separate operation.
According to him, the successes underscore Nigeria’s determination to prevent the country from becoming a manufacturing hub for synthetic drugs.
He expressed optimism that the planned MoU would strengthen institutional cooperation between both countries and enhance coordinated efforts against narcotics trafficking.
Earlier, Ambassador Fouad said Nigeria and Egypt, as two of Africa’s most influential nations, have a shared responsibility to confront the continent’s growing drug trafficking challenge.
He said his visit was aimed at exploring practical areas of collaboration between both countries in combating illicit narcotics trade and understanding the NDLEA’s operational priorities.
“Egypt and Nigeria, being two prominent African countries, should be able to address the challenge of combating narcotics from a continental perspective because it is affecting societies across Africa,” the ambassador said.
He added that enhanced bilateral cooperation would support ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal networks involved in the production, trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs.
The proposed agreement comes amid intensified anti-drug campaigns by the NDLEA under Marwa’s leadership, which have resulted in major seizures, arrests and the destruction of clandestine drug laboratories across Nigeria.
The agency has also expanded international cooperation with foreign law enforcement bodies as traffickers increasingly exploit transnational routes to move narcotics across continents.
Security experts say stronger intelligence sharing and coordinated cross-border operations remain critical to disrupting organised drug trafficking syndicates that continue to adapt to intensified enforcement efforts worldwide.
