Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have strengthened their partnership against drug trafficking with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This agreement aims to enhance operational collaboration, intelligence sharing, and joint investigations to combat global drug trafficking networks.
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Highlights of the MoU include: exchange of intelligence between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, the Saudi will avail NDLEA its training Academy for joint training, provision of operational logistics to NDLEA, conduct of joint investigations and exchange of data on convicts.
Speaking at the signing of the partnership agreement in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) who was accompanied by the Agency’s Director of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) Ahmed Sule Ningi, acknowledged that both countries have long been steadfast allies across various spheres, with a history of strong bilateral relations.
“However, today marks a particularly significant milestone one that has been long overdue and holds immense importance for both our nations.
Today’s event marks the culmination of the strong relationship between our two nations, particularly between our respective anti-narcotics agencies—the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of Nigeria and the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, Marwa stated.
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He noted that Nigeria, through the NDLEA, has actively collaborated with international partners, such as the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA); International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) of the US; United Kingdom Border Force; National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK, the French Police; the German Police, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has remained one of Nigeria’s key allies.
“As a result, in the last four years, we have made over 57,792 arrests, including 65 drug barons, leading to the seizure of more than 10million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs. We have also recorded the conviction of over 10,572 offenders while a total of 22, 047 drug users have been treated and rehabilitated across our 33 treatment centres during the same period”, Marwa stated.
In his brief remark, Director General of Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control, Major General Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Qarni expressed happiness the MoU was being signed after over three years of initial discussions and preparations.
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He commended Marwa and his team for their resilience, sincerity and commitment to the global effort to tame the scourge of illicit drug trafficking.
The DG assured of the commitment of the Saudi authorities to the letters of the MoU, while promising more support to NDLEA in the months ahead.