NDLEA, NAPTIP form Liaison Teams to tackle Drug, Human Trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have established liaison teams to strengthen collaboration in combating the growing connection between drug trafficking, human trafficking, and substance abuse.

This fresh initiative was the key outcome of a meeting held on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja. The meeting was between the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), and the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Lami Adamu Bello, who visited the agency alongside her management team.

During the meeting, Marwa congratulated Adamu Bello on her recent appointment, describing it as well-deserved. He acknowledged the clear link between human trafficking and drug trafficking, noting that trafficked persons are often exploited as drug couriers — some knowingly and others unknowingly — with drugs sometimes concealed in their belongings or administered to keep them compliant. Marwa stressed the importance of formalizing the collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would clearly define areas of partnership. He also named a three-man liaison team from the NDLEA to work directly with NAPTIP’s team on the agreed terms.

Earlier, Adamu Bello highlighted the growing connection between human and drug trafficking, both within Nigeria and internationally. She noted that women and children are increasingly being used as drug couriers, while trafficked victims are often drugged as a means of control. She identified factors like porous borders, poverty, weak institutions, corruption, and the misuse of digital spaces as shared enablers of both crimes.

She proposed actionable areas for the partnership, including joint investigations, intelligence sharing, capacity building, coordinated public enlightenment campaigns, victim-centered interventions, legal reforms, and technology-driven operations. Bello recommended the formation of liaison teams to draft a joint strategic action plan and suggested holding bilateral review meetings at least once or twice annually. She also called for joint international collaborations, acknowledging the existing partnerships both agencies already have with global organizations.

Adamu Bello assured that NAPTIP remains committed to professional and patriotic service, expressing confidence that stronger cooperation between the two agencies would effectively disrupt criminal networks and better protect vulnerable Nigerians.

The meeting concluded with both agencies pledging to immediately activate the liaison teams and map out the next steps for their expanded collaboration.