The French government has assured the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), of more robust support in the areas of training, capacity building and logistics, to bolster the anti-narcotics agency’s operational capabilities in its efforts to curb the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The assurance was given on Tuesday 4th March 2025 during a meeting between a French delegation led by Lt. Gen. Regis Colcombet, Director, Security and Defence Cooperation at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) at the Agencys headquarters in Abuja.
According to Lt. Gen. Colcombet, the meeting with the NDLEA Chairman and his team is a follow up to bilateral agreements reached between President Emmanuel Macron of France and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria during his recent state visit to Paris. He recalled that he had also met Marwa in a similar meeting in France about two years ago on areas of support for the NDLEA.
Responding to requests on areas for more support for the Agency, Lt. Gen. Colcombet assured that apart from the trainings to be provided for selected NDLEA officers across commands and formations on tactical operations, slots will be given for more personnel on cyber security at the French Regional Academy in Cote d Voire. He added that some logistics that will aid the practicability of the trainings will also be provided to the agency.
In his remarks, Marwa expressed delight in the advancement and growth of the relationship between Nigeria and France following the good rapport between President Tinubu and President Macron, which he noted has provided a lot of leverage for NDLEA to deepen its relationship with its counterparts in France.
While appreciating the support the French government has been providing the agency, Marwa listed more areas of need for assistance, specifically, more manpower development and capacity building for NDLEA personnel at the French Regional Academy in Cote d Voire especially in tactical operations, cyber and crypto investigation, among others.
