- Bilateral MoU Signed in Abu Dhabi to Intensify Intelligence-Sharing and Joint Crackdowns
- Marwa Discloses 354.7kg of UAE-Bound Cocaine, Tramadol, Other Hard Drugs Intercepted, 47 Suspected Couriers Dusted
- Emirates to Hand Nigeria Comprehensive Banned-Substance Inventory to Shield Travellers from Arrest
Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates have signed a bilateral anti-narcotics pact to run joint operations and exchange live intelligence against cross-border drug syndicates operating between both countries.
The agreement, sealed under a Memorandum of Understanding, was executed on Saturday in Abu Dhabi between the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the UAE’s National Drug Enforcement Authority on the sidelines of the ongoing 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development in a statement issued from the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, said the deal caps years of behind-the-scenes diplomatic engagement aimed at shutting down syndicates smuggling hard drugs through commercial flights and cargo routes.
Between 2021 and 2026, the agency intercepted 354.7 kilograms of illicit drugs hidden in consignments bound for the Emirates, Marwa disclosed.
The seizures included cocaine, cannabis, tramadol, rohypnol, ecstasy, and khat.
Forty-seven suspects were arrested and charged to court over the intercepted Dubai shipments, a figure Marwa said made the bilateral pact urgent.
He maintained that the agreement will establish cross-border liaison officers, fast-track intelligence swaps, and trigger coordinated hits on supply lines feeding both countries.
Presenting the agency’s national scoreboard, Marwa said operatives arrested over 91,000 drug offenders between January 2021 and July 2026.
Those in custody include 243 convicted and suspected drug barons.
Within the same five-year window, the agency confiscated over 15.5 million kilograms of illicit drugs and chemical precursors, secured 16,469 convictions at the Federal High Court, and counselled or rehabilitated more than 53,000 users.
The agency’s flagship preventive campaign, the War Against Drug Abuse, has reached nearly 5.9 million Nigerians across schools and community clusters, he added.
Under the new operational terms, the UAE will give Nigerian authorities a complete, regularly updated list of substances outlawed under its domestic penal code.
The move is designed to alert Nigerian air travellers to controlled prescription medications that carry severe jail terms or capital sentences under Emirati law, shielding them from unwitting violations at Dubai and Abu Dhabi entry ports.
In his remarks, NDEA Chairman, His Excellency Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad Al Nahyan, reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to shutting down trafficking networks exploiting commercial and passenger links between both countries.
Sheikh Zayed described the MoU as a natural step forward for an already active working relationship, adding that dismantling regional syndicates requires continuous cross-border pressure.
Both agencies stated that the pact directly supports the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime framework, which obligates member states to share the burden of fighting transnational organized crime.
