Nigeria and Ghana have formalised a strategic alliance to combat transnational drug syndicates, issuing a stern warning to cartels attempting to destabilise the West African sub-region. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), announced the partnership during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a visiting delegation from the Ghana Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) yesterday in Abuja.
Marwa stated that the partnership is aimed at tightening measures and innovating ways to better tackle the evolving strategies of drug trafficking cartels in their desperation to beat the system. He added that the evolution of transnational threats requires a response that is not only robust but also deeply collaborative, hence the importance of the meeting. Marwa described the MoU as a legal and operational roadmap that targets the production of psychotropic substances, chemical precursors, and associated money laundering.
The leader of the Ghanaian delegation and Director-General of NACOC, Brig.-Gen. Maxwell Obuba Mantey, noted that the illicit drug menace is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with traffickers shifting towards maritime corridors and a greater reliance on synthetic drugs. He emphasised that the new MoU must result in measurable outcomes rather than remaining a symbolic gesture. Mantey called for intensified intelligence-sharing and coordinated joint operations to tackle the linkages between narcotics and other forms of organised crime.
During the visit, the Ghanaian delegation focused on a study tour of the NDLEA's operational model and advancements in digital forensics. The ceremony was attended by the acting Ghanaian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Gladys Mansa Yawa Feddy Akyea.
