By Nkechi Eze
The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged stronger partnership and support to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Nigeria’s relentless fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking. The assurance came during a courtesy visit by the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Salem Saeed Musabbeh Alshamsi, to the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, 11th November 2025.
According to an official statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the UAE envoy commended the agency’s outstanding performance under the leadership of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), describing his record as exemplary and transformative.
Ambassador Alshamsi expressed deep admiration for the NDLEA’s operational successes and strategic efforts in intercepting illicit drug shipments, particularly those destined for the UAE. “I’m here to appreciate your hard work and the great leadership you have provided the NDLEA. We have been following your achievements very closely, and I must say you have done very well and are still doing an excellent job. We follow all the good work that you’re doing, especially all the drugs you’re seizing and blocking from coming to the UAE, and we’re so proud of your achievements. That’s why we’re here—to deepen our cooperation with your agency in the area of fighting drug trafficking. The UAE looks forward to working more closely with Nigeria on drug enforcement matters,” he said.
The Ambassador disclosed that the UAE government was eager to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Nigeria through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NDLEA, covering areas such as intelligence exchange, operational coordination, and mutual assistance in tackling transnational drug crimes. He also extended an invitation to Brigadier General Marwa to visit his counterpart in the UAE and the Dubai Police leadership for further engagements.
“We need to exchange information about drug dealers and their activities. We are here to help and support you, especially on this matter. It is very important that we maintain great communication between the UAE and Nigeria, especially now that the relationship between our two countries has become one of the best. If there’s anything I can do to support the great work you’re doing here, please do not hesitate to ask. Our mission is to be here for you—to assist and support you,” Ambassador Alshamsi added.
In his response, Brigadier General Marwa expressed profound appreciation to the Ambassador for the visit, his kind words, and the UAE’s continued interest in strengthening relations with Nigeria. He commended the UAE for its developmental strides and the deepening of diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations, noting the remarkable increase in trade and movement between both countries in the past two years.
“I’d like to acknowledge the strong diplomatic relations between our two countries that have continued to grow stronger every year. Your Excellency has just told us the latest figures in billions of dollars in non-oil trade, and this is something we welcome very much in Nigeria because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aims to achieve not just peace and stability, but also prosperity for all Nigerians,” Marwa stated.
He noted that the drug problem was a universal challenge requiring concerted global collaboration, saying, “The drug scourge is universal—both trafficking and abuse—and there’s a need for cooperation among nations to find solutions. In Nigeria, the NDLEA is the agency mandated to control illicit drugs in the country, and we are open to partnerships that will strengthen this mandate.”
Marwa revealed that within the past four years, the NDLEA had intercepted a total of 302.202 kilograms of assorted illicit substances destined for the UAE, either through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, or via courier companies. He emphasized that as Africa’s largest anti-narcotics agency, the NDLEA maintains active partnerships with major drug law enforcement bodies worldwide, including the DEA, NCA, and UNODC.
“We welcome this collaboration between NDLEA and our counterparts in the UAE. We are also willing to honour the invitation to visit your country for further discussions and to sign the MoU,” Marwa affirmed.
