French govt assures NDLEA of support in logistics, training 

The French government has assured the leadership of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of more robust support in the areas of training, capacity building, and logistics to further boost the operational capability of the agency in its ongoing effort to curb the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

The assurance was given on Tuesday during a meeting between a French delegation led by Lt. Gen. Regis Colcombet, Director of Security and Defence Cooperation at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

Lt. Gen. Colcombet said the meeting with the NDLEA chairman and his team is a follow-up to bilateral agreements reached between President Emmanuel Macron of France and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria during his recent state visit to Paris.

He recalled that he had also met Marwa in a similar meeting in France about two years ago on areas of support for the NDLEA.

“It’s important for us to be here because it’s now three months after the very successful state visit of your president to France, which has a lot of developments. We’ve been requested to come, develop, follow up, and see how we can go further on the development of this cooperation. It’s very important,” he stated.

Responding to requests for more support for the agency, Lt. Gen. Colcombet assured that apart from the training to be provided for selected NDLEA officers across commands and formations on tactical operations, slots will be given for more personnel on cybersecurity at the French Regional Academy in Côte d’Ivoire.

He added that some logistics that will aid the practicability of the training will also be provided to the agency.

In his remarks, Marwa expressed delight in the advancement and growth of the relationship between Nigeria and France following the good rapport between President Tinubu and President Macron. He added that this has provided a lot of leverage for NDLEA to deepen its relationship with its counterparts in France.

He appreciated the support the French government has been providing the agency while listing more areas of need for assistance.

Marwa requested more manpower development and capacity building for NDLEA personnel at the French Regional Academy in Côte d’Ivoire, especially in tactical operations, cyber and crypto investigation, among others.

Others on the French delegation include Lt. Col. Pierre Yves Dupe, Philippe Baurreau, Colonel Oliver Ductet, and Philippe Crespo.