The United States International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for its recent operational successes in the fight against illicit drugs, assuring the Agency of continued support to strengthen its counter-narcotics operations.
According to an official statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, the Country Director of INL Nigeria, Mr. Derek Tolliver, gave the commendation on Thursday, August 20, 2026, when he led a delegation from the United States Government Accountability Office on a visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Tolliver said the visit was aimed at strengthening the existing partnership between the United States Government and the NDLEA and building on previous INL programmes supporting the Agency’s anti-drug operations.
He congratulated Marwa and the NDLEA on the Agency’s recent achievements, describing its growth and operational successes as phenomenal.
“I want to say big congratulations on all the successes over the past months with your leadership and under your leadership. It is phenomenal how much this organisation has grown, the accolades that are now shown in the media,” Tolliver said.
He assured the NDLEA that he and his team at the US Embassy in Abuja would continue to work with the Agency to advance their shared programme goals.
Responding, Marwa congratulated Tolliver on his appointment as Country Director of INL Nigeria and expressed appreciation for the enduring relationship between Nigeria and the United States Government.
He specifically acknowledged the contributions of the INL and other US agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), AFRICOM and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to the NDLEA’s operations.
Marwa said the support provided by the INL had contributed significantly to the Agency’s operational successes, particularly in the areas of logistics and forensic capacity.
“Whatever successes that we have had in this Agency, the INL is part of it. No question about it,” Marwa said.
He recalled that the INL had provided operational vehicles to the NDLEA and supported the Agency’s commands with the mobility required for field operations.
The NDLEA chairman also highlighted US support for the modernisation and expansion of the Agency’s forensic laboratories, noting that the country previously had only one such facility in Lagos serving the entire country.
According to him, the INL modernised the Lagos laboratory with new equipment and improved infrastructure, while also supporting additional forensic laboratories in Abuja and Enugu to expand the Agency’s forensic capabilities.
Marwa disclosed that the forensic equipment recently proved critical in the investigation of a methamphetamine laboratory dismantled in a deep forest in Ogun State.
He said forensic analysis of chemicals recovered from the facility led to the discovery that one of the precursor chemicals was associated with the production of fentanyl.
“We discovered one of the precursor chemicals was in fact for the production of Fentanyl, which is bad news. Nobody wants to hear that word,” he said.
Marwa explained that the substance constituted only a small portion of the precursor chemicals recovered from the laboratory and could have gone undetected without the modern forensic tools provided through the US-supported facilities.
He described the forensic support as particularly important to the Agency’s law enforcement efforts, stressing that the discovery underscored the evolving nature of illicit drug production in the country.
Marwa subsequently appealed for additional support from the United States in logistics, training and other operational areas to enable the NDLEA to sustain its fight against drug trafficking and illicit drug production.
The engagement further reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to strengthening cooperation against illicit drugs and enhancing the capacity of the NDLEA to respond to emerging threats in the narcotics landscape.
