Nigeria Share Bilateral Agreement with India
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria has committed to provide India with critical information about drug trafficking.
The nations agreed to exchange intelligence regarding the actions of drug trafficking organizations using dangerous drug routes between them.
This was said in a statement released on Tuesday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi. The statement claims that India also committed to increase the training opportunities available to NDLEA officers.
The NDLEA delegation was led by Mohammed Buba Marwa, and a delegation from the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was led by Satya Narayan Pradhan. These recommendations and agreements were reached at the conclusion of a two-day bilateral meeting that took place in New Delhi, India.
The summit also recommended conducting collaborative operations, sharing real-time information on the participation of citizens of both nations in drug trafficking, and exchanging best practices for reducing drug demand, according to the statement.
They also decided to get together again on a bilateral basis in Nigeria in 2023.
He clarified that the collaboration between NDLEA and NCB on how to regulate the importation of tramadol beyond 100 mg as well as specific types of precursors into Nigeria was another important goal of the conference.
Marwa emphasized the significance of the conference for the worldwide effort to combat drug trafficking in light of the historical backgrounds of both nations, the similarity of their languages, legal systems, and populations, as well as their already strong economic links.
He also emphasized the necessity for increased cooperation between the two organizations in the battle against the manufacturing, trafficking, and cultivation of illegal drugs. Marwa emphasized Nigeria’s problems with drug usage and trafficking while pointing out the increased national efforts to implement a balanced strategy for reducing both the supply and demand for drugs.
He added that Nigeria has a “National Drug Control Master Plan as the veritable tool for drug control and enforcement, which has facilitated effective coordination at federal and state levels and is being encouraged at the local government level” as he emphasized the significance of international cooperation and stakeholders’ engagement.
Marwa also hoped that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) defining the relationship between the two agencies with regard to information exchange, asset tracking, and forfeiture of assets discovered to be connected to and/or the revenues of drug trafficking would be finalized shortly.
In contrast, Satya Narayan Pradhan of NCB, the chairman of the Indian delegation, greeted the delegates from both nations for the conference in his remarks. He characterized the transportation of drugs by air and sea channels as a threat for both nations.
The growth of illicit drug trafficking through couriers, dark-net markets, and social media platforms was also discussed in detail by Pradhan, who also pledged to share knowledge on the newest tools and technologies to combat new dangers.
