Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. He said the shared intelligence would also strengthen the capacity of NDLEA officers with training. Mr. Babafemi said this was part of the recommendations and agreements reached at the end of a two-day bilateral meeting held in New Delhi, India. He said the meeting was between an NDLEA delegation led by its retired chairman, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, and its Indian counterpart, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), led by its director general, Satya Pradhan.
The NDLEA spokesperson said the meeting also recommended the exchange of best practises in drug demand reduction and the sharing of real-time information on the involvement of nationals of both countries. He stated that this was in drug trafficking and joint operations, while also agreeing to hold another bilateral meeting in Nigeria in 2023. "Another key objective of the India meeting was the collaboration between NDLEA and NCB on how to control the importation of tramadol above 100 mg as well as certain categories of precursors into Nigeria," he said.
Mr Marwa thanked NCB and its management for their warm reception of his delegation during his presentation at the talks. He underscored the importance of the meeting to the global action against drug trafficking given the historical antecedents of both countries, the commonality of language, legal systems, and population, and the existing robust trade relations. He reiterated the need for strengthened collaboration between the two agencies in the fight against illicit drug cultivation, production, and trafficking.
He expressed the hope that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would define the relationship between the two agencies with reference to information sharing, asset tracing, and forfeiture of assets found to be connected to and/or proceeds of drug trafficking would be finalised soon. In his remarks, Mr. Pradhan highlighted issues, particularly the trafficking of heroin and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the country. Mr. Pradhan said drug trafficking through maritime and air routes was a challenge for both countries. He elaborated on trends showing the emergence of illicit drug trafficking through couriers, dark-net markets, and social media platforms. He promised to share information about the latest mechanisms and technologies to fight emerging threats.
