The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged stronger cooperation and support for Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its campaign against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The commitment was made known in a press release issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, from the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Salem Saeed Musabbeh Alshamsi, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit to the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), at the agency’s national headquarters on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
The envoy commended Marwa for what he described as exemplary leadership and outstanding performance in the ongoing war against drug trafficking and abuse.
He said, “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’ve been 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.”
Alshamsi invited Marwa to visit his counterpart in the UAE and the Dubai Police leadership for further engagements, expressing his country’s readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NDLEA on intelligence sharing and operational collaboration.
He stated, “We need to exchange information about drug dealers and all of their activities. We are here to help and to support you, especially on this matter. It’s very important that we have great communication between the UAE and Nigeria, especially now that the relationship between our two countries has become one of the best. If there is any other thing I could do to support the great work you’re doing here, please do not hesitate to ask me. Our mission is to be here for you, assist and support you.”
In his response, Marwa expressed appreciation to the UAE envoy for his remarks and commitment to partnership. He also commended the developmental progress in the UAE and praised the improvement in trade relations between both nations, describing it as consistent with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“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 in billions of dollars in non-oil trade, and this is something that we welcome very much in Nigeria because the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda seeks to achieve not just peace and stability, but prosperity for all Nigerians. The drug scourge is universal, both the trafficking of it and the abuse of it, and there’s a need for collaboration between nations to achieve solutions on this. In Nigeria, the NDLEA is the agency tasked with the control of illicit drugs in the country,” Marwa said.
He disclosed that in the last four years, the agency intercepted over 302.2 kilograms of assorted illicit substances destined for the UAE through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and several courier companies.
As Africa’s largest anti-narcotics agency, Marwa reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to partnering with drug enforcement agencies across the globe, adding that the agency looks forward to signing the proposed MoU and deepening cooperation with the UAE.
