Nigeria and Egypt are set to deepen cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building between their anti-narcotics agencies.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja when he received the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, on a courtesy visit.
Marwa said the proposed agreement would strengthen existing bilateral ties between both countries and create a structured framework for tackling the increasingly complex activities of international drug cartels operating across Africa.
He described illicit drug trafficking as a global challenge that requires coordinated international action, stressing that no country is insulated from the threat.
“The drug problem is a global challenge. Nowhere is untouched. The drug menace is everywhere in the world,” Marwa said.
He noted that the NDLEA already maintains partnerships with several international law enforcement organisations, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK Border Force, French and German security agencies, as well as India’s Narcotics Control Bureau.
The NDLEA boss said the agency was looking forward to extending similar cooperation to Egypt through a formal agreement.
“We are very excited that we’re going to collaborate with Egypt through an MoU.
”Drug cartels are increasingly looking for alternative routes in Africa because of sustained pressure elsewhere, and we must remain united to push them out of the continent,” he said.
Marwa highlighted recent achievements by the agency, including the dismantling of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory estimated at about $362 million and allegedly linked to Mexican nationals operating in a remote forest location in Nigeria.
He added that another methamphetamine laboratory connected to Mexican drug traffickers was also destroyed during a separate operation.
According to him, the operations demonstrate Nigeria’s determination to prevent the country from becoming a production hub for synthetic drugs.
Marwa expressed confidence that the planned MoU would improve collaboration between Nigerian and Egyptian authorities and strengthen joint efforts to disrupt narcotics trafficking networks.
Earlier, Egyptian Ambassador Mohammed Fouad said Nigeria and Egypt, as two leading African nations, have a shared responsibility to confront the growing challenge of drug trafficking on the continent.
Fouad said his visit was aimed at identifying practical areas of cooperation and gaining a better understanding of the NDLEA’s priorities in combating illicit drug activities.
“Egypt and Nigeria, being two prominent African countries, should be able to address the challenge of combating narcotics from a continental perspective because it is affecting societies across Africa,” the ambassador said.
He added that stronger cooperation between both countries would support efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in the production, movement and distribution of illegal drugs.
The planned agreement comes amid intensified anti-drug operations by the NDLEA, which has recorded major seizures, arrests and the destruction of illegal drug production facilities across Nigeria.
The agency has also expanded partnerships with international law enforcement bodies as traffickers increasingly exploit cross-border routes to transport narcotics.
Security experts have emphasised that improved intelligence sharing and coordinated international operations are essential to disrupting organised drug trafficking networks that continue to adapt to global enforcement measures.
