The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has strengthened the capacity of its Canine Unit through a specialised refresher training for dog handlers and their service dogs, facilitated by German technical experts.

The exercise, held at the NDLEA Canine Unit Facility in Lagos, was organised in collaboration with the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) and led by two technical dog-handling experts, Andreas Roscher and Jacqueline Shüler.

The training was designed to sharpen the operational skills of handlers and improve the dogs’ effectiveness in detecting and intercepting narcotics, particularly in challenging operational environments.

Eleven personnel from the Canine Unit, comprising the unit commander, two veterinary doctors and eight dog handlers, participated in the exercise alongside their service dogs.

Five other officers from NDLEA commands in Lagos who had expressed interest in joining the Canine Unit also took part.

The course covered advanced obedience and control, narcotics detection techniques, scent imprinting, search patterns, handler safety and tactics for deploying canine assets in high-risk environments.

The handlers and their dogs were also exposed to practical, real-life simulations at strategic locations, including the baggage hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), APM Terminals in Apapa and the MMIA NAHCO export shed.

The practical exercises were designed to test the ability of the handlers and dogs to identify concealed narcotics in environments that mirror the operational conditions they encounter at airports and seaports.

Speaking on the training, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.), said the exercise reflected the agency’s commitment to developing a highly skilled and professional workforce capable of responding to increasingly sophisticated drug trafficking methods.

Marwa described the agency’s canine teams as a critical component of its narcotics detection and interdiction operations, noting that their effectiveness depended on continuous training and proper welfare.

“Our canine teams remain one of the most potent assets in our detection and interdiction efforts, and this is why we will continue to invest in their retraining and welfare,” he said.

He added that the successes recorded by the agency at airports, seaports and border points in intercepting concealed narcotics were partly attributable to the dedication of handlers and the sharpened detection abilities of the dogs.

According to him, the partnership with the German experts would further strengthen the capacity of the Canine Unit while ensuring that its operations remained aligned with international best practices.

Marwa also acknowledged manpower and logistics challenges confronting the unit, including the need for additional service dogs, personnel and boarding facilities to provide adequate coverage for the country’s seaports, international airports and land borders.

He said the agency was working towards addressing the gaps, adding that the recommendation for the refresher course to become an annual exercise would help sustain the skills acquired by handlers and their dogs.

The training underscores the growing importance of specialised canine operations in the agency’s efforts to detect narcotics concealed in luggage, cargo and other consignments across Nigeria’s major entry and exit points.