NDLEA inaugurates Lagos marine facility donated by British government

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has inaugurated a marine facility donated by the British government.

NAN reports that the marine command headquarters facility, inaugurated in Lagos on Wednesday, aims to bolster the capacity of the anti-narcotic body within the maritime space.

The facility is also expected to strengthen efforts against drug barons and cartels involved in illicit substances in the waterways and seaports.

Buba Marwa, chairman of the NDLEA, said West Africa is the major transit region for narcotics, mostly from South America.

Marwa thanked the British High Commission in Nigeria for believing in the project and supporting the NDLEA.

“Not quite long ago, a similar edifice, completed with state-of-the-art fittings, was handed over to NDLEA by the British Government at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport,” he said.

“There has also been a series of capacity-building initiatives and provisions of equipment by the Home Office International Operations, which have bolstered the capability of the agency’s personnel and have enhanced phenomenal drug seizures and arrests.

“According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, over 80 percent of the volume of international trade is carried by sea, and the percentage is even higher for developing countries.

“This is equally true of illicit drug trade because maritime routes have long been exploited by drug traffickers due to the vast expanses of the open sea and the complexity of maritime laws and jurisdictions.

“The illicit drug trade via maritime channels poses severe threats, not only in terms of drug proliferation but also because of its links to organised crime, terrorism, and human trafficking.

“We have had at least four trafficking cases in the last two years involving merchant ships (aside from cases of drugs concealed in cargo containers) from South America to Nigeria.

“The cases are evidence that the maritime corridor provides mobility for illicit trafficking activity.”

Marwa said the operational successes achieved by the NDLEA in the waterways and seaports validated his decision to upgrade the agency’s marine unit to full-fledged command in 2022.

The NDLEA boss appreciated Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos; the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Customs Service, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for supporting the agency.

“We did not make a mistake when, in 2022, we upgraded the marine unit to a full-fledged command. Our balance sheet of arrests and seizures of drugs within the maritime space has maintained an upward swing,” Marwa said.

“The collaboration of the agency’s marine command with other maritime law enforcement agencies has resulted in the interception of 61,688.79 kg of varying drugs and the arrest of 41 suspects, 15 of whom are already prosecuted and jailed.

“Through our various port operations in the last three years, the agency has seized at least 750 tons of illicit drugs ranging from cocaine to codeine, tramadol, methamphetamine, and Loud, to mention a few.”

Jonny Baxter, British deputy high commissioner, noted that there has been an increase in the detection of drug trafficking in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK).

“This is because, from my perspective, that shows the level of commitment that we see from our Nigerian partners and colleagues to what is the really critical work carried out by the NDLEA in tackling drug trafficking,” Baxter said.

“Firstly, there is a clear need for us to work together, to work collaboratively to tackle drug trafficking. But it also shows that our efforts are paying dividends.

“We are jointly preventing more and more drugs crossing borders, and we are disrupting more and more gangs.

“And that is important for both our populations, both our countries; but it’s mostly important actually for the people whose lives are disrupted by this crime.”