By Ayo Kehinde
Nigeria and Qatar have strengthened their collaboration in the fight against illicit drug trafficking with the formal exchange of instruments of ratification in Abuja.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), and Qatar’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Ali Bin Ghanem Al-Hajri, conducted the exchange on behalf of both countries on Tuesday in Abuja.
The agreement, originally signed in Doha on March 3, 2024, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, focuses on tackling trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors.
Marwa assured Qatar of Nigeria’s commitment to the pact, noting that the NDLEA had, in the last four years, intercepted over 1,000 kilograms of illicit substances, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and cannabis, bound for the Gulf state.
He also appealed for Qatar’s support, particularly through the Qatar Foundation, in building rehabilitation centres for drug addicts in Nigeria.
Ambassador Al-Hajri commended the progress in bilateral relations and promised to forward Nigeria’s request for rehabilitation support to the Foundation.
The new agreement provides a legal framework for closer cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint action against drug trafficking between both countries.
