The United States government has partnered with the United Nations to train drug enforcement officers from Nigeria and nine other West African countries in a bid to combat transnational drug trafficking across the region.
The training, delivered through the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, targeted officers of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and their counterparts from nine other West African nations.
The US Mission in Nigeria disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the programme covered areas ranging from dismantling clandestine drug laboratories to sharpening investigative techniques.
According to the mission, the hands-on training was designed to deepen cooperation and intelligence-sharing between the NDLEA and its regional counterparts, while boosting their collective capacity to disrupt criminal networks.
“From dismantling clandestine drug labs to sharpening investigative techniques, the United States supports West African drug enforcement agencies in their fight against transnational drug traffickers that harm Americans and Africans alike,” the statement read.
The mission said the programme would strengthen the region’s ability to confront drug cartels by stopping drugs at source and protecting communities across West Africa.
It added that the initiative would boost the capacity of participating agencies to disrupt criminal networks operating across the region.
The US government said the ultimate goal was to make both West Africa and the United States safer from the threat of transnational drug trafficking.
“This hands-on program strengthens the region’s ability to confront drug cartels by deepening cooperation and intelligence-sharing between NDLEA and its counterparts and boosting their capacity to disrupt criminal networks, stop drugs at source, and protect communities across West Africa, making the region and America safer,” the statement read.