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Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad Al Nahyan witnessed the signing of the agreement between the UAE’s National Drug Enforcement Authority and Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency during the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice which the UAE is hosting through October 1. Rashid Hamad Al Shamsi director general of the UAE authority signed on behalf of his country while Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa chairman and chief executive of the Nigerian agency signed for his side. The pact establishes a framework for joint action against a threat that both nations have identified as transnational in scope and damaging to societal security.
The memorandum aims to enhance collaboration in combating the production manufacture and illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs psychotropic substances and their precursors the Emirates News Agency reported. It provides for the exchange of information and data on counter-measures as well as smuggling activities. Officials from both sides described the document as opening a new phase of security cooperation between the two countries.
Mutual assistance in controlled delivery operations and the monitoring of drug movements forms a central element of the accord according to the Emirates News Agency. The agreement also calls for the exchange of expertise through reciprocal visits meetings and workshops along with the sharing of relevant research and legislation. All activities will proceed in line with the national laws of both countries and their international obligations the agency added.
NDLEA figures show that the agency intercepted 354.7 kilogrammes of illicit drugs including cocaine cannabis tramadol rohypnol ecstasy and khat in consignments bound for the UAE between 2021 and 2026. Those operations resulted in the arrest and prosecution of 47 suspects the Nigerian agency reported. The statistics underscore the volume of trafficking activity along the corridor that the new memorandum seeks to address.
Marwa said the pact would deepen intelligence-sharing and joint enforcement operations along the Nigeria-UAE corridor. The NDLEA chief described the agreement as the culmination of years of engagement between the two agencies in a statement released after the ceremony. He added that the partnership would build on existing liaison-officer exchanges and technical cooperation already in place.
The UAE side has agreed to provide Nigerian travellers with a comprehensive list of prohibited items to prevent inadvertent violations of its drug laws according to the NDLEA statement. Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad Al Nahyan chairman of the National Drug Enforcement Authority called the memorandum a natural progression of bilateral ties. The accord reflects the strong relations between the two countries and supports efforts grounded in international conventions on narcotic drugs the Emirates News Agency reported.
