Illicit Drug Laboratory: Threat to Public Health and Nigeria’s National Security -NDLEA Chairman

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has described the discovery of secret laboratories used for the production of drugs including methamphetamine and the seizures of captagon, fentanyl, and other deadly substances as a threat to public health and Nigeria’s national security.

The spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Monday, said the NDLEA boss made the remark at the Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances twinning programme organised by the International Narcotics Control Board.

Babafemi noted that Marwa said the agency was poised to tighten the noose against drug traffickers through an integrated and balanced strategy aimed at countering the world drug problem.

He also noted that the NDLEA boss noted that if drug trafficking cartels could maintain effective networks across the globe, it was expedient for drug law enforcement agencies to forge a clear formidable lead ahead of them to win the all-important fight.

The statement said, “This programme is a laudable initiative and is timely considering the proliferation of new psychotropic substances, non-medical synthetic opioids, and other dangerous substances. The multi-agency training on real-time communication, intelligence tools, awareness raising, and the handling of dangerous substances, is a welcome development aimed at intercepting narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

“Expectedly, this will help to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement and regulatory officers across regions and promote faster and more effective cooperation among participating countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, and Vietnam. Other benefits include intelligence sharing and officer exchange programmes, which are vital to the dislodgement of transnational drug trafficking groups.”

Expressing optimism about the gains of the strategic alliance between West Africa and South-East Asia, the NDLEA boss was quoted to have said the twinning programme was preparing a solid foundation for a more coordinated onslaught against drug trafficking cartels.

“Apart from exposing officers to global and regional trends in new psychotropic substances and non-medical synthetic opioids, it will also enhance the capacity of law enforcement agents to discharge their duties,” the statement said.

According to the statement, Craig Nixon of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, United States Department of State, said there would be a continuous engagement of foreign partners to attain more impactful counter-narcotics and law enforcement outcomes through foreign assistance, diplomacy and the deployment of deterrence tools.

In his remarks, the Regional Technical Officer for the INCB’s GRIDS programme in West and Central Africa, Amari Olivier, congratulated the NDLEA boss over the recent historic seizure of Fentanyl.

Olivier said, “The mention of this opioid in Africa is frightening, and Mr Chairman, you had the courage to alert the world during the HONLEA on the risk of this substance on the African continent. Your message enabled us to launch a search in our analysis tool, called IONICS.”

In his presentation, the Regional Technical Officer, GRIDS Programme, Long Duc, said social media networks across the globe were widely exploited by vendors of dangerous substances such as synthetic opioids or NPS, adding that “more and more vendors are ‘fishing’ their customers over the social media and then continue the communication via encrypted communication tools such as Wickr.”

June 16, 2023