National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation against transnational drug trafficking networks operating between Nigeria and Australia.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agreement was signed on Monday, November 2, 2026, at the NDLEA national headquarters in Abuja.
The partnership is aimed at disrupting organised criminal groups involved in the trafficking of cocaine and methamphetamine along the Nigeria-Australia route through intelligence sharing, coordinated operations and improved law enforcement cooperation.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the agreement as a declaration of war against international drug cartels, warning that traffickers would no longer find safe havens between continents.
Marwa said the partnership would focus on four major areas: intelligence and information exchange, joint operations, capacity building and professional development, as well as controlled delivery of illicit drugs to identify and arrest members of trafficking networks.
He explained that the agreement became necessary because drug trafficking had become increasingly sophisticated and international, with Nigerian criminal networks linked to routes connecting Australia and the Pacific region.
According to him, Nigeria is being exploited as both a transit and sourcing point for illicit substances, particularly cocaine and methamphetamine, making international cooperation necessary to dismantle the networks.
Marwa said, “We hope that this MoU being signed today will lead to major joint seizures, arrests of high-value targets, and successful controlled deliveries.”
He called for the immediate implementation of the agreement, which he said would be renewable, to ensure that the partnership produced concrete operational results.
The NDLEA chairman also disclosed that the agency had intercepted 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine intended for export and dismantled four methamphetamine laboratories in recent months.
He added that Mexican nationals were discovered to be involved in some of the illicit drug production operations, while one of the laboratories yielded seizures valued at more than $360 million.
Marwa further cited the dismantling of a Switzerland-based drug cartel allegedly operated by a Nigerian, Simon Amadi, following more than a year of joint investigations involving the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and police authorities in France, Greece and Switzerland.
Speaking on behalf of the Australian delegation, Sandra Booth, who led the AFP team, said the agreement would strengthen international efforts to tackle organised crime and its wider consequences.
She commended the NDLEA for combining drug prevention initiatives with enforcement operations, describing its existing international partnerships as commendable.
Booth warned that organised criminal groups were increasingly using proceeds from drug trafficking to finance other serious crimes, including violence and attacks against rival groups.
She also raised concerns about the recruitment of vulnerable young people as drug couriers and their involvement in criminal activities.
She said, “Whilst Nigeria is a transit country, we are a destination country. And unfortunately for us, people will pay a lot of money for the commodity.”
The AFP representative stressed the importance of both countries working together to prevent illicit substances from reaching Australia and protect vulnerable communities.
She added, “It is so absolutely necessary that we work together as a team, that we are forceful, that we are committed, that we show integrity, and we hunt as a pack. And I am very proud that we can now be part of your pack.”
The agreement comes amid increasing international cooperation between Nigeria and foreign law enforcement agencies to tackle drug trafficking and dismantle criminal networks operating across national borders.
