Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), has urged for African countries to work together to combat the threat of illicit drug trafficking and abuse in Africa.
Marwa, speaking at the ongoing 30th Conference of Heads of Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa (HONLEA) in Nairobi, Kenya, said that seamless intelligence exchange and strengthened coordination among African countries will assist the continent overcome the formidable challenge.
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While informing the meeting on Nigeria’s progress in combating drug misuse and illicit drug trafficking, Marwa stated that a national coordination system must be established to ensure coordinated action against the issue.
“The beginning point is the national drug focal agency harnessing all stakeholders,” he says. Through this national coordination and collaborative effort, Nigeria has consistently made considerable efforts in addressing drug concerns, recording unprecedented arrests of 21,302 alleged drug traffickers, including 28 drug barons, between January 2021 and August 2022.
“In the area of prosecution, the agency has secured 3,111 convictions, and seized 5.4 million kilograms of illicit substances. On Drug Demand Reduction, the Agency within the same period had brief interventions, counselling/rehabilitation for over 12,326 drug users.”
While advocating for regional and sub-regional cooperation, the NDLEA executive director stated that “the global drug problem has placed higher obligations on governments to work around the clock to achieve this goal and consolidate the achievements recorded.”
At the sub-regional level, countries should endeavour to establish sub-regional groups like HONLEA for strengthened collaboration under the auspices of the regional economic communities.”
He told the gathering that “the HONLEA platform offers unlimited opportunities, and it is imperative to maximize these amazing benefits by completing it with practical forms of cooperation such as the suggested HONLEA Informal Network of Contact Persons. This would enable regular bilateral meetings, training programs, exchange of intelligence, and the conduct of joint operations at sub-regional and regional levels, if need be.”
He stated that Nigeria has done so by taking real actions to strengthen collaboration at both the national and international levels in combating the global drug problem in accordance with the notion of common and shared responsibility.
He expressed hope that the proposed synergy will expedite the breakup of drug trafficking organizations across Africa via a more active HONLEA platform. The NDLEA chief had previously been unanimously voted Vice Chairman of the conference, which was hosted by Kenya.
