The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation against international drug trafficking networks operating along the Nigeria-Australia route.
The agreement, signed on Monday, November 2, 2026, at the NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja, formalises existing cooperation between the two agencies into a structured strategic partnership.
Under the agreement, both agencies will collaborate in four key areas: intelligence and information sharing, joint operations, capacity building and professional development, as well as controlled drug deliveries.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the agreement as a declaration of war against transnational drug cartels.
Marwa said the partnership would combine the AFP's international reach with the NDLEA's operational capabilities to make the Nigeria-Australia drug route hostile and unprofitable for traffickers.
He noted that drug trafficking networks had become increasingly organised and sophisticated, with Nigerian criminal groups linked to the Australia-Pacific route, particularly in the trafficking of methamphetamine and cocaine.
According to him, Nigeria is being exploited as a transit and sourcing point for illicit drugs, making international cooperation necessary to tackle the networks.
Marwa expressed hope that the agreement would lead to major joint drug seizures, arrests of high-value targets and successful controlled deliveries. He also called for its immediate implementation.
Citing recent enforcement operations, the NDLEA chairman disclosed that the agency had seized 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine intended for export and dismantled four methamphetamine laboratories in recent months.
He said Mexican nationals were found embedded in the laboratories, adding that one of the operations resulted in seizures valued at more than 360 million dollars.
Marwa also cited the dismantling of a Switzerland-based drug cartel linked to a Nigerian, Simon Amadi, following more than a year of collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and police authorities in France, Greece and Switzerland.
In her remarks, head of the Australian Federal Police delegation, Sandra Booth, said drug trafficking was a whole-of-society problem requiring coordinated international action.
Booth commended the NDLEA's approach to tackling the problem, from prevention to enforcement, and described the new partnership as a force multiplier in the fight against drug trafficking.
She warned that organised criminal groups were increasingly using proceeds from drug trafficking to finance other crimes, while recruiting young and vulnerable people to transport drugs and carry out violent attacks.
Booth said the drug trade was contributing to addiction, violence, gang conflicts and deaths in Australia, where demand for illicit substances remained high.
She described Australia as a destination country for drugs, while acknowledging Nigeria's role as a transit point, and said the partnership would help protect Australian youths and vulnerable communities.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Leilani Bin-Juda, Deputy High Commissioner Timothy Milikan, other members of the AFP delegation and senior NDLEA officials.
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