The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed its preparedness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its Egyptian counterpart to facilitate intelligence sharing, joint operations and training as part of ongoing efforts to curb the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria and Egypt.

The agency said the proposed agreement would strengthen existing bilateral ties between Nigeria and Egypt and enhance efforts to tackle the growing threat posed by international drug cartels operating across Africa.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this when the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, paid him a courtesy visit at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to a statement made available to the column.ng  by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa stressed the need for closer collaboration between both countries to confront the global drug menace.

“The drug problem is a global challenge. Nowhere is untouched. The drug menace is everywhere in the world, and it is for this reason that we have this kind of collaboration. We collaborate with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau of the US, the National Crime Agency of the UK, the UK Border Force, the French Police, the German Criminal Police, our counterparts in Narcotics Control Bureau of India, Home Office International Operations of the UK and many more.

“We are therefore very excited that we’re going to collaborate with Egypt through an MoU. We’ve had recent headaches, I think because of the pressure from elsewhere, so the drug cartels are trying to find other alternatives in Africa, but we have to stay united and push them out of our continent”, the statement quoted Marwa as saying.

Marwa said the agency had recorded significant successes in dismantling drug manufacturing operations linked to foreign cartels operating in Nigeria.

He continued, “They are coming this way from Mexico, and just about two months ago, we were able to take down a methamphetamine lab that was worth $362 million. The Mexicans themselves were manufacturing it in Nigeria, in the deep jungle, but we were able to take it down.

“And we’ve also dismantled another meth lab run by some other Mexicans in a different state recently. So, I’m quite happy that Nigeria and Egypt have been working on an MoU to further our cooperation in this very important area. I think signing the MoU will pave the way for a more institutional cooperation between our competent agencies combating narcotics.”

Earlier, the Egyptian envoy underscored the importance of stronger collaboration between both countries to address the challenge of narcotics trafficking from a continental perspective.

“Overall, I think it’s important for Egypt and Nigeria to enhance our bilateral cooperation in this area. Egypt and Nigeria, being the two prominent African countries, should be able to address the challenge of combating narcotics from a continental perspective, which I think is impacting societies all over the continent.

“So, I’m on this visit to discuss with you what we can do together in terms of combating illicit trade and trafficking narcotics and to learn more about your priorities as an agency and how bilateral cooperation with Egypt can help and support the outstanding job that you’re carrying out here in Nigeria in combating narcotics”, the statement quoted Fouad as saying.

Nigeria has intensified efforts in recent years to combat drug trafficking and abuse, with the NDLEA recording several high-profile seizures and arrests linked to international drug syndicates.

The agency has also expanded partnerships with foreign law enforcement and anti-narcotics organisations as part of a broader strategy to disrupt transnational drug networks.

The proposed Nigeria-Egypt MoU is expected to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in intelligence gathering, capacity building and coordinated enforcement actions aimed at curbing the illicit drug trade across Africa.

The South African government says more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since launching a “migration management” campaign five weeks ago.

Most were from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, officials say, and the number is likely to rise as repatriations and deportations continue.

South Africa is carrying out one of its biggest crackdowns on undocumented migrants in years, following weeks of anti-immigration protests that have seen violence, intimidation and looting.

Protesters have been demanding tighter border controls and mass deportations, accusing migrants of contributing to high unemployment, rising crime rates and collapse of public services.

The UN has warned against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges.

Anti-migrant activists have threatened to stage weekly protests to pressure the government until their demands are met, and there are fears the protests could turn violent.

The demonstrators had set an “unofficial deadline” of 30 June for all undocumented migrants to leave the country, which has seen many foreigners leave to escape violence and intimidation.

Several countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, have flown their citizens home in recent weeks.

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced on Sunday that 53,499 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation, “which is dominated by the Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans”.

“We are striving to achieve an orderly and regular migration which is mindful and sensitive to the concerns raised by our people, while observing human rights and dignity of all people in our country, irrespective of their citizenship and immigration status,” Kubayi told a news conference in Pretoria.

She said the repatriation and deportation process has helped them catch people who were wanted by the police for alleged criminal activity.

Authorities will continue to enforce its immigration laws, she added, but warned that protesters should not conduct unauthorised searches of homes and businesses that are suspected of sheltering undocumented migrants.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged public concerns about immigration but has condemned attacks against migrants, warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands.

South Africa is the continent’s wealthiest nation and has long attracted migrants searching for better economic opportunities, some of whom enter the country illegally.

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The Presidency on Monday knocked Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde over his call for a United Nations-led probe into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, describing the demand as unnecessary and politically motivated.

Special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga in an interview, said the federal government had no objection to an international investigation if Makinde believed there were unresolved issues.

“The governor has just expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he thinks there is more to it than what our military has explained,” Onanuga said.

He, however, questioned the rationale behind the governor’s demand, arguing that no security agency would deliberately allow schoolchildren to remain in captivity for 56 days.

“Look at those kids. Some of them are just about four or six years old. Will anyone want to deliberately subject them to the trauma they went through for 56 days?” he told The Punch.

According to Onanuga, the rescue operation came at a heavy cost, with some security personnel, including soldiers and members of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, losing their lives during efforts to rescue the victims.

He also noted that one of the abducted teachers was killed while in captivity, insisting it was “unthinkable” that anyone would deliberately orchestrate such an ordeal.

The presidential spokesman accused Makinde, whom he described as a presidential aspirant, of allowing politics to influence his position.