The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has warned that proceeds from illicit drug trafficking have become a major source of financing for terrorist networks and violent extremist groups, posing a growing threat to national and global security.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mohamed Buba Marwa, stated this on Tuesday at a bilateral strategic counter-narcotics workshop held in Abuja, in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
Marwa said the global drug problem was evolving in complexity, with an alarming nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism, noting that funds generated from the narcotics trade were increasingly being used to finance violent activities.
“Of particular concern is the well-established nexus between illicit drug trafficking and terrorism. Drug proceeds have become a major source of financing for terrorist networks and violent extremist groups around the world.
“This dangerous linkage, rightly described by the United States as narco-terrorism, poses a grave threat to global peace, security, and stability,” he said.
The NDLEA boss added that money made from drug sales was often channelled into the purchase of weapons used to destabilise regions, stressing that disrupting drug networks would weaken terrorist operations.
“The proceeds from the poison sold on our streets are the same funds used to purchase the weapons that destabilise our regions. By attacking the drug trade, we are simultaneously starving the engines of terrorism,” Marwa stated.
The NDLEA boss also warned that Nigeria’s strategic geographic location had made it increasingly attractive to international drug trafficking organisations, especially as enforcement pressure intensifies in other regions.
According to him, many illicit drugs entering Nigeria are not meant for local consumption but for onward trafficking to Europe, North America and Asia, underscoring the transnational nature of the threat.
He said the workshop with the U.S. agency was aimed at aligning enforcement leadership, strengthening intelligence-driven operations and developing a coordinated action plan for the next 12 months.