The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has assured the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of its commitment to strengthening partnership in the fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria.
The assurance was given when the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Salem Saeed Musabbeh Alshamsi, paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Ambassador Alshamsi commended Marwa for his exemplary leadership, which has led to a series of operational successes in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.
“I’m here to appreciate your hard work and the great leadership you have provided the NDLEA. We have been following your achievements very closely, and I must say you have done very well and still doing excellent job.
“We follow all the good work that you’ve been doing, especially all the drugs you’re seizing and blocking from coming to the UAE and we’re so proud of your achievements and that’s why we’re here to deepen our cooperation with your agency in the area of fighting drug trafficking. The UAE looks forward to working more closely with Nigeria on drug enforcement matter,” he stated.
The Ambassador urged Marwa to visit his counterpart in the UAE and the Dubai Police leadership for further engagements, assuring that the UAE government is ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NDLEA to enhance collaboration.
“We need to exchange information about drug dealers, and all of their activities. We are here to help and to support you, especially on this matter. It’s very important that we have a very great communication between the UAE and Nigeria especially now that the relationship between United Arab Emirates and Nigeria has become one of the best.
“If there is any other thing I could do to support the great work you’re doing here, please do not hesitate to ask me and I’ll be available and willing to do it in appreciation of your great leadership. Our mission is to be here for you, assist and support you,” the Ambassador added.
In response, Marwa expressed appreciation to the envoy for his kind words and commended the UAE’s developmental strides.
He also praised the Ambassador’s dedicated service and the significant growth in trade and travel between Nigeria and the UAE in the last two years, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“I’d like to acknowledge the strong diplomatic relations between our two countries that have continued to grow stronger every year. And Your Excellency has just told us now the latest in billions of dollars in non-oil trade and this is something that we welcome very much in Nigeria because the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda wants to achieve not just peace and stability, but prosperity for all Nigerians.
“The drug scourge is universal, both the trafficking of it and the abuse of it and there’s a need for collaboration between nations to achieve solutions on this. And in Nigeria, the NDLEA is the agency that is tasked with the control of illicit drugs in the country,” Marwa said.
The NDLEA boss revealed that, in the past four years, the agency has intercepted a total of 302.202 kilograms of assorted illicit substances destined for the UAE, either at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, or through some courier companies in the state.
He further disclosed that as Africa’s largest anti-narcotics agency, the NDLEA partners with all leading drug law enforcement agencies worldwide.
“We welcome the collaboration between NDLEA and our counterparts in UAE, we’re also willing to honour the invitation to visit UAE for collaborative discussions and sign the MoU,” he assured.
