FG, Saudi Arabia to partner against drug abuse

Federal Government through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), is set to partner with the General Directorate Of Narcotics Control (GDNC) of Saudi Arabia in the fight against drug abuse

Both agencies have agreed to strengthen their partnership in the fight against trafficking of illicit drugs between the two countries.

This is according to a communique issued on Wednesday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the statement, this partnership was the high point of discussions between the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) and a representative of GDNC, Colonel Naser Hajid Al Otaibi, in Abuja on Monday and Tuesday.

While welcoming the official official, Gen. Marwa thanked Saudi authorities for their past support.

He said considering the need for an enduring partnership, “we propose a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the two agencies in combating trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and its precursors to GDNC for consideration and signing just like we recently did with the Drug Law Enforcement Agency in the Gambia.”

The NDLEA boss reiterated Nigeria’s resolve to fighting drug abuse and trafficking, explaining that President Muhammadu Buhari is behind the agency in its bid to stamp out the menace.

He asked the Saudi government for support especially in the areas of technical assistance and donation of equipment such as scanners, forensic laboratories and the building of rehabilitation centres.

The NDLEA boss believes a strong partnership with Saudi Arabia will boost the country’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

On his part, the GDNC representative invited Gen. Marwa to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia so as to deepen discussions on various aspects of collaboration between the NDLEA and the GDNC.

The NDLEA Chairman also accepted the invitation with the hope that it will provide the opportunity to sign the MoU on the partnership between the two anti-narcotic agencies.