National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India have agreed to intensify their efforts in the fight against the shipment of illicit drugs between the two countries, especially the illegal flow of opioids such as tramadol and codeine-based syrup to Nigeria from the South Asian country.

This was part of the agreements reached during a virtual meeting between the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) and the Director General of NCB, Mr Anurag Garg, along with top officials of the two anti-narcotics agencies yesterday.

In his remarks at the meeting, Marwa noted the threat posed to public health and security by illicit drugs in both Nigeria and India, while emphasising the need to strengthen the existing partnership between NDLEA and NCB based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two agencies in 2023.

The NDLEA boss also asked the NCB to assist NDLEA in specialised training. “The other point from me is seeking your assistance on capacity building and training. We have had training in the past from India on drugs and investigation, training for analysts, financial investigation, cyber training, the dark web and so on. We will very much appreciate sharing from your experiences and knowledge, and your support on training for our officers”, Marwa added.

Responding, the NCB boss, Anurag Garg, said it was essential for the two agencies to strengthen the existing partnership because the drug problem cut across international borders, assuring of their readiness to share knowledge, intelligence and experience with NDLEA on areas of interest.