Nigeria is no longer a permissive environment for international drug cartels, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said, citing a surge in arrests, seizures and convictions recorded by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over the past five years.
The assessment was delivered in Abuja by UNODC’s Country Representative, Cheikh Ousmane Toure, during a brief handover ceremony for newly upgraded audiovisual interview rooms donated to the NDLEA.
Notably, the facilities, equipped with modern recording and monitoring technology, were provided by UNODC with funding from the United States International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (US-INL).
Toure said transnational drug trafficking remained among the most destabilising global threats, fuelling corruption, financing violence and exploiting vulnerable communities.
He stated that Nigeria’s geographic position at a key sub-regional crossroads had long made it both a target and a transit route for criminal networks spanning Latin America, Asia and Africa.
However, he stressed the picture had changed under the current leadership of the NDLEA.
“Under the strong and visionary leadership of Mohamed Buba Marwa, the agency has shown courage and professionalism in confronting these networks,” Toure said.
Since his appointment in 2021, he added, the NDLEA had strengthened enforcement, increased tangible seizures and expanded prevention and treatment programmes.
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“The result is clear. Very strong messages have been sent to transnational criminal organisations: Nigeria is no longer a permissive environment,” he said.
Toure thanked the US government for funding the project and said the handover of the interview rooms reassured a shared commitment to fighting organised crime within the bounds of the law, with full respect for human rights and transparency.
He then urged that similar facilities be replicated across NDLEA commands nationwide.
Responding, Brig Gen Marwa (retd), Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, lauded the UNODC and US-INL for their sustained support, describing the donation as a massive boost to the agency’s investigative integrity.
To him, the NDLEA was at an advanced stage of digital transformation, adding that the new facilities represented the future of law enforcement, where technology meets the rule of law.
Marwa believed the equipment symbolised trust in the agency and its personnel, reinforcing commitments to transparency, existing laws and global best practice in criminal justice.
“For the Agency, this means enhanced capacity, higher investigative standards, and the ability to deliver justice more effectively,” he said.