The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, or NDLEA, will have its forensic and chemical analysis capabilities, as well as its information collecting and prosecuting capabilities, strengthened as a result of a project that the US government has announced.
This is in accordance with a statement made on Monday by Mr. Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA.
He claims that the most recent assistance from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State follows an award of N500 million from the Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative to fund specific projects within the Agency (ASR Africa).
The grant came as a result of requests made by Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, after a series of meetings with top U.S. officials both in Abuja and in Washington DC.
An official letter announcing the U.S. project grant to the NDLEA, stated that the project will be implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria.
Aside from the support for the forensic and chemical analysis capacity of the Agency, the U.S. government also said the project will further support NDLEA efforts to conduct intelligence-led investigations through diverse resources as well as legal books and an e-library for prosecution and other legal needs of the Agency.
“Through all this, the NDLEA will be better equipped to prosecute cases with reliable evidence, using improved collection, handling, and custodial procedures.
“We appreciate our strong and continued working relationship and believe this project will be an important step in advancing our shared goal of a united, peaceful, and stable Nigeria”, the letter added.