he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have pledged to bolster their collaboration in curbing the illegal trafficking of opioids such as tramadol and codeine-based syrup from India to Nigeria.
This resolution was reached during a high-level virtual meeting held on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, between NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) and NCB Director General, Mr. Anurag Garg, alongside other top officials from both agencies.
Brig. Gen. Marwa raised serious concerns about the alarming influx of illicit pharmaceuticals into Nigeria, revealing that over the past 18 months alone (January 2024 to June 2025), the NDLEA had seized:
Over one billion pills of opioids, primarily tramadol
More than 14.4 million bottles of codeine syrup
> “This is why we need the support and collaboration of the Narcotics Control Bureau of India. The drug menace poses a grave threat to public health and national security. Our two nations must work more closely, especially under the existing 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” Marwa emphasized.
He also called on the NCB to assist the NDLEA in capacity building and specialized training, especially in key areas such as:
Financial investigations
Dark web surveillance
Cybercrime and drug trafficking
Clandestine lab detection
Precursor chemical monitoring
In response, NCB chief Anurag Garg welcomed the request and stressed the need for global cooperation to counter transnational drug syndicates.
> “These syndicates don’t respect borders or national laws. The only effective approach is joint collaboration. This meeting is a good opportunity to move that initiative forward,” Garg said.
He further offered tailored training support through NCB’s specialized facilities, noting their readiness to design custom training programs for NDLEA operatives in various investigative domains.
The engagement marks a renewed commitment by both agencies to dismantle global supply chains of illicit narcotics and protect communities in both nations from the scourge of drug abuse.
---
Stone Reporters News
📍 Visit: www.stonereportersnews.com
📢 Facebook: Stone Reports
Add comment
Comments