The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United States Africa Command (US AFRICOM) have reinforced their partnership to combat drug trafficking and transnational crime.
The partnership was renewed when a delegation of senior officials from US AFRICOM paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The delegation commended the existing relationship between NDLEA and AFRICOM and assured the Agency of enhanced collaboration and partnership in the fight against illicit drugs.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Philip Esch, who is the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Liaison to AFRICOM, said that the relationship between NDLEA and the US-DEA is not only a partnership but one of high importance to the United States government.
He applauded Marwa for providing good leadership and for being open to international partnerships.
“We appreciate all the support and the leadership you provide. Obviously, you know that the relationship between NDLEA and DEA is of utmost importance, and we appreciate the excellent relationship across US law enforcement with you and the NDLEA. We want that to continue and we are very happy that your tenure was renewed for another five years. We really look forward to continued engagement,” Esch stated.
Another member of the delegation, James Elseth, expressed excitement about supporting the NDLEA due to the Agency’s tremendous work in Nigeria, which he said also contributes to the security of other countries.
His words: “I want to thank you, General, because you have a regional mindset and an international mindset, that is showing clearly in the scope and impact of your work. A lot of countries that we work with are only focused on their country. And just like DEA and FBI, we have an international mindset to try to stop organized crime from impacting our respective countries.”
Elseth lauded the NDLEA for the proper maintenance of equipment and facilities previously provided by the US government and assured that two major projects were already in progress to further support the Agency, in addition to training and other forms of assistance.
In his response, Marwa expressed appreciation for the visit and commended the ongoing support from US-AFRICOM, while congratulating Philip Esch on his years of meritorious service to the US government.
“We appreciate very much the ongoing support from AFRICOM. I must also say that whatever we are achieving is due to this kind of support from you and our other international partners and more importantly due to the commitment and encouragement from the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Tinubu,” he remarked.
Marwa urged the delegation to continue supporting the NDLEA, particularly in view of the nexus between illicit drugs and terrorism.
He further requested support in the areas of airport scanning equipment, digital forensic tools, portable drug detection equipment, forensic laboratory equipment, and sniffer dogs, among others.
