Drug War: Nigeria Seeks Collaboration Among African Countries

Federal government has said a seamless exchange of intelligence and strengthened collaboration among African countries would help the continent surmount the daunting challenge of illicit drug trafficking and abuse.

This position was presented by the chairman/chief executive officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) at the ongoing 30th conference of heads of Drug Law Enforcement Agencies Africa (HONLEA) in Nairobi, Kenya.

It was also widely supported by other countries represented at the gathering.

NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, said while briefing the meeting on the gains recorded by Nigeria in the fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking, Marwa stressed the need for all to put in place a national coordination mechanism to ensure coordinated action against the menace.

According to him, “The starting point is the harnessing of all the stakeholders by the national drug focal agency. Through this national coordination and collaborative effort, Nigeria has steadily made significant efforts in tackling drug challenges and has between January 2021 and August 2022, recorded unprecedented arrests, in the region of 21,302 suspected drug traffickers, including 28 drug barons.