Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and its Egyptian counterpart have announced plans to strengthen their partnership to combat substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in both countries.
The NDLEA expressed its readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its Egyptian counterpart to facilitate intelligence sharing, joint operations, and training as part of ongoing efforts to curb the scourge of narcotics in Nigeria and Egypt.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), expressed the Agency’s readiness to partner with the Arab country when the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
Marwa stated that the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Egypt has been very cordial over the years, noting that the global drug challenge has made it imperative for the two countries to build on that relationship by joining forces to tackle a common challenge.
“The drug problem is a global challenge. Nowhere is untouched. The drug menace is everywhere in the world and it is for this reason that we have this kind of collaboration. We collaborate with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau of the US, the National Crime Agency of the UK, the UK Border Force, the French Police, the German Criminal Police, our counterparts in Narcotics Control Bureau of India, Home Office International Operations of the UK and many more.
“We are therefore very excited that we’re going to collaborate with Egypt through an MoU. We’ve had recent headaches, I think because of the pressure from elsewhere, so the drug cartels are trying to find other alternatives in Africa but we have to stay united and push them out of our continent,” he said.
He cited the recent successes by NDLEA in that regard, saying: “They are coming this way from Mexico, and just about two months ago, we were able to take down, a methamphetamine lab that was worth $362 million. The Mexicans themselves were manufacturing it in Nigeria, in the deep jungle, but we were able to take it down.”
“And we’ve also dismantled another meth lab run by some other Mexicans in a different state recently. So, I’m quite happy that Nigeria and Egypt have been working on an MoU to further our cooperation in this very important area. I think signing the MoU will pave the way for a more institutional cooperation between our competent agencies combating narcotics,” the NDLEA boss added.
Speaking earlier, the Egyptian Ambassador, Mohammed Fouad, highlighted the importance of cooperation between both countries in tackling a common challenge.
“Overall, I think it’s important for Egypt and Nigeria to enhance our bilateral cooperation in this area. Egypt and Nigeria, being the two prominent African countries, should be able to address the challenge of combating narcotics from a continental perspective, which I think is impacting societies all over the continent,” Ambassador Fouad remarked.
He further stated: “So, I’m on this visit to discuss with you what we can do together in terms of combating illicit trade and trafficking narcotics and to learn more about your priorities as an agency and how bilateral cooperation with Egypt can help and support the outstanding job that you’re carrying out here in Nigeria in combating narcotics.”
