The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) are to strengthen their collaborate on the fight against human and drug trafficking and substance abuse.
The fresh effort was the highpoint of discussions between the two agencies when the NAPTIP Director-General Binta Adamu-Bello led her team on a courtesy visit to the NDLEA on Friday in Abuja.
Speaking, the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa congratulated Adamu-Bello on her well-deserved appointment to lead a very important agency like NAPTIP.
Marwa also commended her for hitting the ground running.
“There’s a link between human trafficking and drug trafficking and abuse.
“Some trafficked persons are used as mules, some may know, some may not know, they may give them drugs, sewn into their bag, and they can be drugged to be compliant, to do what they want.
“So, this is an area that we should collaborate further by signing an MoU that will actually bring about definite and unambiguous areas of collaboration.”
Marwa assured her of NDLEA’s preparedness to deepen collaboration with NAPTIP while he named a three-member liaison team that would work with the team from NAPTIP on agreed areas of partnership.
Speaking earlier, the NAPTIP boss emphasised the importance of deepened partnership between the two agencies.
This, she said was to the disruption of criminal networks involved in human and drug trafficking as well as substance abuse.
Adamu-Bello said that drug trafficking and human trafficking were increasingly connected, both globally and locally adding that women and children were used as drug couriers.
She said that victims were also drugged and subjected to substance abuse as a method of control when they were trafficked.
She added that both crimes thrive on similar enablers which she said were porous borders, corruption, poverty, weak institutions, and digital space.
She also added that intelligence reports have shown overlaps in networks operating in both spheres, hence the urgent need for a coordinated response.
“We believe that there is immense potential for deepened collaboration between NAPTIP and NDLEA.
“Some actionable areas could include joint investigation and intelligence sharing, capacity building and cross-training, victim-centered approach, technology and data integration, public enlightenment and preventive advocacy, and legal reforms.
“This could be achieved, by our proposal of the next steps to be taken, that is, setting up of a liaison team to develop NAPTIP-NDLEA strategic action plan for the short to medium term activities, schedule bilateral meetings.
“This is to review our operation partnership at least once or twice a year, and explore opportunities for international collaboration, which we are all aware that the two agencies are closely partnering with various international organisations.
“I want to affirm that NAPTIP is fully committed to partnership, professionalism, and patriotic service.
“We believe that together we will not only disrupt criminal networks, but also protect and empower vulnerable Nigerians who are often the ultimate victims of these crimes”, she maintained. (NAN)
