The United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, HOIO, has reported significant progress in its collaboration with Nigeria to combat substance abuse and drug trafficking.
This announcement came during a courtesy visit by HOIO Head Victoria Pullen and her colleague Kristoffer Hawksfield to the Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa Rtd, in Abuja on Monday.
The visit also marked the signing of a renewed Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies.
Pullen praised the NDLEA’s recent achievements, stating: “The issue of drug trafficking is a huge global issue, and like many big challenges such as drug trafficking, it takes a huge global effort to try and counter that. I think it’s evident by some of the recent successes and the volume of some of the illicit commodities that your teams are finding that that cooperation is working exceptionally well currently, and we are currently really enjoying working with your team on those successes.
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“The willingness of your teams to work with us and do things differently and try things differently, which fortunately is leading to those successes, and we like the way that you’ve worked with the UK and the levels of engagement that we’ve enjoyed with the teams.”
The recent commissioning of the NDLEA Marine Command Headquarters in Lagos, built and donated by the UK government, was highlighted as a significant milestone in their partnership.
Marwa expressed gratitude for the UK government’s support, particularly for the new Marine Headquarters and another operational facility at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. He acknowledged that the partnership with HOIO has been crucial in enhancing the NDLEA’s capabilities, noting: “We have made over 52,000 arrests, seized over 8,000 tons of illicit substances, and secured more than 9,000 convictions in the past three years.”
The NDLEA chief called for continued assistance from the UK to strengthen their efforts against drug trafficking and transnational crime, underscoring the need for intelligence sharing and actionable data between the two nations. The renewed MOU represents a commitment to deepening their collaboration in tackling drug-related issues.
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