ABUJA — The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged stronger collaboration with Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking, while commending the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), for his leadership and results-driven approach.
In a statement released Wednesday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Musabbeh Alshamsi, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit to Marwa at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
“I’m here to appreciate your hard work and the great leadership you have provided the NDLEA,” Alshamsi said. “We have been following your achievements very closely, and I must say you have done very well and are still doing an excellent job. We follow all the good work that you’ve been doing, especially all the drugs you’re seizing and blocking from coming to the UAE, and we’re so proud of your achievements. That’s why we’re here to deepen our cooperation with your agency in the area of fighting drug trafficking.”
The ambassador, who extended an invitation to Marwa to visit his counterpart in the UAE and meet with Dubai Police officials, expressed his government’s readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NDLEA to enhance intelligence sharing and operational collaboration.
“We need to exchange information about drug dealers and their activities,” Alshamsi said. “We are here to help and support you, especially on this matter. It’s very important that we maintain great communication between the UAE and Nigeria, especially now that the relationship between our two countries has become one of the best. Our mission is to be here for you, assist and support you.”
Responding, Marwa expressed appreciation to the envoy for his visit and kind remarks, while commending the UAE’s rapid development and strengthening bilateral relations with Nigeria.
“I’d like to acknowledge the strong diplomatic relations between our two countries that have continued to grow stronger every year,” Marwa said. “Your Excellency has just told us the latest in billions of dollars in non-oil trade, and this is something we welcome in Nigeria because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda seeks not just peace and stability, but prosperity for all Nigerians. The drug scourge is universal, both the trafficking and the abuse, and there’s a need for collaboration between nations to achieve solutions.”
He revealed that the NDLEA has intercepted over 302 kilograms of assorted illicit substances bound for the UAE in the past four years through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and courier companies in the city.
“As the largest anti-narcotics agency in Africa, the NDLEA partners with leading drug enforcement agencies across the world,” Marwa said. “We welcome the collaboration with our counterparts in the UAE and are willing to honor the invitation to visit and sign the MoU.”
