Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have strengthened their fight against transnational drug trafficking with the signing of a new anti-narcotics Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), following the seizure of about 354.7kg of illicit drugs destined for the UAE.
The agreement was finalized on the sidelines of the ongoing 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, UAE, according to a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The MoU was signed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the UAE’s National Drug Enforcement Authority (NDEA) as part of efforts to strengthen intelligence-sharing and joint enforcement operations along the Nigeria-UAE corridor.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the agreement was the result of years of sustained engagement between both countries.
Marwa said the partnership would deepen intelligence-sharing, operational cooperation and joint enforcement action against drug trafficking networks operating between Nigeria and the UAE.
He disclosed that between 2021 and 2026, the NDLEA intercepted approximately 354.7kg of illicit drugs bound for the UAE, including cocaine, cannabis, tramadol, rohypnol, ecstasy and khat.
According to him, the seizures resulted in the arrest and prosecution of 47 suspects, highlighting the scale of trafficking activities along the Nigeria-UAE route and the need for closer cooperation between the two countries.
Marwa also outlined the broader results of the NDLEA’s nationwide enforcement campaign between January 2021 and July 2026.
He said the agency arrested more than 91,000 suspects during the period, including 243 high-profile drug barons, while over 15.5 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals were seized.
The NDLEA chairman added that the agency secured 16,469 convictions and provided counselling, treatment and rehabilitation services to more than 53,000 people affected by drug abuse.
He further said the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign had reached nearly 5.9 million Nigerians through community and school-based sensitisation programmes.
Under the new agreement, both agencies are expected to strengthen the exchange of liaison personnel, operational intelligence and technical expertise.
The UAE will also provide Nigerian travellers with a comprehensive list of prohibited items to help prevent inadvertent violations of its drug laws.
Chairman of the NDEA, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad Al Nahyan, reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to disrupting trafficking networks exploiting the strong trade, travel and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
He described the MoU as a natural progression of the existing cooperation between Nigeria and the UAE in combating drug trafficking.
Both agencies said the agreement would strengthen actionable intelligence-sharing and joint operations aimed at disrupting trafficking networks along the Nigeria-UAE corridor.
The partnership also reinforces ongoing international efforts against the transnational narcotics trade, including cooperation aligned with the objectives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).