US AFRICOM backs NDLEA, pledges enhanced support for Nigeria’s anti-drug war

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has reassured the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of stronger collaboration and wider support in Nigeria’s fight against illicit drugs, describing the agency’s work as critical to both Nigerian and global security.​

A delegation of senior AFRICOM officials met on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, with NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where they lauded the existing partnership and signalled plans to deepen operational cooperation, training and technical assistance.​

Leading the team, Philip Esch, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Liaison to AFRICOM, said the relationship between NDLEA and the US-DEA has become a strategic pillar of Washington’s law enforcement engagement with Nigeria, noting that the partnership is “of utmost importance” to the US government.​ He praised Marwa’s “excellent” leadership and openness to international collaboration and welcomed the renewal of his tenure for another five years, saying the extension would help sustain momentum in joint counter-narcotics operations.​

Another member of the delegation, James Elseth, commended NDLEA’s “tremendous work” in Nigeria and across the region, stressing that the agency’s operations are helping to shield other countries from the effects of transnational organised crime.​ He highlighted NDLEA’s “regional and international mindset”, contrasting it with agencies that focus narrowly on domestic threats, and aligned it with the global posture of US bodies such as the DEA and FBI that target criminal networks before they can undermine national security.​

Elseth also noted that the US is encouraged by NDLEA’s responsible use and maintenance of equipment and facilities previously supplied by Washington, a factor he said underpins confidence to roll out additional assistance.​ He disclosed that at least two major support projects are already in the pipeline for NDLEA, alongside ongoing capacity-building programmes and specialised trainings for the agency’s personnel.​

Responding, Marwa thanked AFRICOM and wider US law enforcement for what he called consistent and impactful support, stressing that NDLEA’s recent gains are inseparable from its strategic partnerships with international allies and the policy backing of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.​ He congratulated Esch on his years of meritorious service to the US government and reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led, globally coordinated operations against drug cartels.​

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Marwa used the engagement to push for expanded technical support, drawing attention to what he described as a clear nexus between illicit drugs, terrorism and wider insecurity in Nigeria and the Sahel.​ He said the agency would particularly welcome more advanced scanning equipment at airports and seaports, digital forensic tools, portable drug detection devices, forensic laboratory equipment and additional sniffer dogs to tighten interdiction at critical points of entry.​

The meeting comes against the backdrop of sustained NDLEA operations targeting major trafficking syndicates, clandestine laboratories and transit routes used to move narcotics within and beyond Nigeria, efforts that have attracted international commendation in recent years.​ US officials at the session signalled Washington’s readiness to keep investing in Nigeria’s anti-drug infrastructure as part of a broader push to disrupt global drug supply chains and deny terrorist and criminal networks access to drug proceeds.​