How US-donated Forensic Equipment Helped Us Detect Fentanyl Production In Ogun Lab – Marwa
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.) has disclosed how forensic equipment provided by the United States International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) helped the agency detect a precursor chemical used in fentanyl production following the dismantling of a methamphetamine laboratory deep in a forest in Ogun State.
Marwa made the disclosure on Thursday, August 20, 2026, during a meeting with the Country Director of INL Nigeria, Mr Derek Tolliver, and a US Government Accountability Office delegation at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Marwa said the discovery was made during the seizure and dismantling of the clandestine methamphetamine laboratory about two months ago, stressing that the forensic equipment provided by INL enabled investigators to identify the precursor chemicals recovered from the site.
According to him, one of the chemicals was found to be a precursor for the production of fentanyl, a development he described as particularly concerning.
He said the discovery could have gone unnoticed without the modern forensic tools provided through the partnership with INL, as the fentanyl-related chemical constituted only a small portion of the precursor materials recovered.
Marwa expressed appreciation to the US agency for its continued support, noting that INL had also assisted NDLEA with operational vehicles and the modernisation and expansion of its forensic laboratory network.
He said the agency previously had only one forensic laboratory in Lagos, but INL support had contributed to the modernisation of the facility and the establishment of additional laboratories in Abuja and Enugu.
“These forensic labs have been central to our law enforcement efforts,” Marwa said, adding that the facilities had significantly enhanced the agency’s ability to analyse seized substances and detect emerging threats.
The NDLEA chairman appealed for further INL support in logistics, training and other operational areas.
Tolliver, who commended the NDLEA’s recent operational successes, assured the agency that the US government would build on the existing partnership and continue working with it to advance their shared drug-control objectives.
