The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Narcotics Control Bureau of India have agreed to intensify efforts in combating the shipment of illicit drugs between the two countries.
This particularly concerns the illegal flow of opioids such as tramadol and codeine-based syrup into Nigeria from the South Asian country.
This was part of the agreements reached during a virtual meeting between the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, and the Director-General of NCB, Mr. Anurag Garg, on Wednesday in Abuja.
In a statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Marwa noted the threat posed to public health and security by illicit drugs in both Nigeria and India.
He emphasised the need to strengthen the existing partnership between the NDLEA and NCB, based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both agencies in 2023.
“The main reason why I requested this engagement is the illicit importation of tramadol and codeine cough syrup into Nigeria from India. This is a point I raised the day we signed the MoU. Now, in the last 18 months, from January 2024 to June this year, we have seized over one billion pills of opioids, mainly tramadol, and more than 14.4 million bottles of codeine syrup. This is why we need the support and collaboration of the Narcotics Control Bureau of India to work with us on this,” he said.
The NDLEA boss also asked the NCB to assist with specialised training.
“The other point from me is seeking your assistance on capacity building and training. We have had training in the past from India on drugs and investigation, training for analysts, financial investigation, cyber training, the dark web and so on. We would very much appreciate sharing your experiences and knowledge, and your support in training our officers,” Marwa added.
In his response, the NCB boss, Anurag Garg, said it was essential for the two agencies to strengthen their partnership, as the drug problem cuts across international borders.
Garg assured of their readiness to share knowledge, intelligence, and experience with the NDLEA in several areas of interest.
“We all know that there are transnational syndicates involved in the illicit drug shipments into Nigeria, but we’re ready to work with you on this. Unless we come together, we cannot end this malady, because we’re dealing with transnational drug syndicates, they have no respect for borders or national laws. So, the only method as of now is to collaborate, and this meeting is a good opportunity to take this initiative forward,” he said.
On the issue of capacity building, Garg expressed satisfaction, adding that the agency has a training centre ready to host the NDLEA.
“I mean, as per your needs, we can have a curated training programme through which we’ll be very happy to share whatever we know, especially on the subject of clandestine labs, precursors, darknet monitoring, investigating darknet vendors, and so on,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was attended by top officials of both anti-narcotics agencies.
NAN
