The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Gambia (DLEAG).
Speaking at the signing ceremony which took place today in Banjul, the capital city of Gambia, Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) harped on the need for regional and international cooperation to successfully cut off drug supply to the rising criminal gangs across the world.
The MoU borders on cooperation in combating illicit production, manufacture, and trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors.
Marwa stated that countries all over the world are dealing with the problem of drug-related crime and criminality on a daily basis, and that as a result, they must unite to combat the evil twins of drug trafficking and abuse.
He expressed hope that the drug-war coordination between Nigeria and Gambia may inspire similar collaborations among other West African and African countries.
According to him, the MoU is a continuation of the affirmation and commitment made by the two countries’ Ministers of Justice at the 62nd session of the United Nations Commission on Drugs in Vienna, Austria.
He said “the commonality of English Language between us and shared colonial history, heightened by our cultural affinity and business transactions in addition to statistics on drug abuse in West Africa calls for urgent need for collaboration. We in the NDLEA are prepared to collaborate with the sharing of intelligence, operations and any other area that will help to effectively combat illicit drug trafficking between our two countries.”
Alhagie Bakary Gassama, the Director General of DLEAG, commended Gen. Marwa’s aggressive leadership and its influence on NDLEA since he assumed command seven months ago. While emphasizing the need of collaboration and intelligence sharing between the two agencies in drug interdiction efforts, Gassama stated that such cooperation will benefit both countries and the African continent.
Also speaking at the event, the Gambian Minister of Interior, Yankuba Sonko commended the initiative between NDLEA and DLEAG, stressing that such will in no small boost law enforcement operations against drug trafficking in Africa and promote law and order in the two countries.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Gambia, Mohammed Manu, as well as the heads of several law enforcement and intelligence organizations in the Gambia, were among those present at the well-attended ceremony.
