U.S. govt, UNODC commend partnership, promise more support on drug war

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), yesterday, pledged enhanced performance with its newly refurbished forensic laboratory. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), disclosed this during the commissioning of the facility in Lagos.

He said the upgrade by the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) will enhance the operational standard and optimal performance of NDLEA in its renewed fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.

The project was facilitated by INL and implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Marwa said: “With this facility, we are now anticipating the provision of state-of-the-art analytical equipment, which will enhance optimal performance, in line with standard operational laboratory procedures and best practices, which, in turn, will enhance evidence-based analytical processes in our forensic analysis.”

The NDLEA boss, who was represented at the event by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, emphasised the importance of modern forensic laboratories to the successful fight against illicit drugs in the country. He said: “Everyone who knows how pivotal a forensic laboratory is to drug investigations will share my sentiment.

“The forensic laboratory plays a critical role in the identification of drug exhibits, in the investigation of illicit drug manufacturing and the dismantling of clandestine laboratories. Ultimately, it reinforces the criminal justice system.

“Given the current situation of illicit drugs in Nigeria, a forensic laboratory is sine qua non to any meaningful effort to stymie the problem. The reason is obvious. In three decades, Nigeria has grown from a transit country to a country that produces a farrago of new psychoactive substances, NPS, and a place where there is proliferation of clandestine laboratories, of which we have discovered and dismantled over 23.

“Over the last three years that I have been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, there have been seizures of record quantities of illicit drugs, approximately 7, 590 tons. What is remarkable about these seizures is that they include not only substances already under national and international control but also an unexpectedly high number of new psychoactive substances and combinations of illicit drugs prepared by chemists working in clandestine laboratories.

“These substances, constituting over 10,000 exhibits, found their way to the forensic laboratory for confirmatory analysis and identification.

“The poor infrastructure of our forensic laboratory translated into inadequacy to cope with the volume of work on ground. It is against this backdrop that INL intervened to sponsor the upgrade of the laboratory to a global standard and expand its capacity to cope with the challenging dynamics inherent in the analysis of new psychoactive substances, amphetamine-type stimulants, synthetic cannabinoids, and fentanyl opioids.”

Marwa expressed appreciation to the U.S. government for approving funding for the project, which encompasses: strengthening the forensic and chemical analysis capacity of NDLEA; upgrading the interrogation room and provision of an e-library for prosecution. He equally commended the UNODC for painstaking implementation of the project.

He said some other benefits of the project include: the training of 20 NDLEA forensic analysts on drug identification and safe handling of synthetic opioids; provision of safety bags consisting of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); supply of 20 test kits for drugs and precursor chemicals for field identification; supply of laptops, desktop computers, and other ICT accessories.

Speaking at the event, U.S. Consul General, Will Stevens, highlighted the ongoing security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria. He said: “The global opioid crisis calls for a coordinated, comprehensive, and multi-disciplinary global response. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to modernise this chemical forensic laboratory in Lagos.

“This $500,000 investment will ensure our Nigerian partners have the state-of-the-art equipment and training needed to identify and analyse the increasing flow of illegal drugs entering and being produced in Nigeria. We appreciate Nigeria’s strong regional leadership and commitment to work with us to combat this growing threat.”

In his remarks, the UNODC Deputy Country Representative, Danilo Campisi, commended the partnership with the United States INL and NDLEA, which he said “continues to demonstrate the effectiveness of these types of interventions, implemented by organisations like UNODC”.