President Tinubu To Declare War On Drug Trafficking

President Bola Tinubu is leading an effort to combat the global threat of drug trafficking. He will be among participants from 54 African countries in the next 31st meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa, which will be held in Abuja on September 26, 2023.

Measures to reduce cannabis cultivation, dealing with issues like asset forfeiture, and the intricate relationships between cryptocurrency, money laundering, and drug cartels will be central to the debate.

The summit was announced at a news conference in Abuja on September 19, 2023, attended by officials from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Shadrach Haruna, Secretary to the NDLEA, revealed the HONLAF meeting. “This annual event is a platform for African nations to collaborate, share intelligence, and jointly strategize against international drug syndicates that threaten the region,” Haruna explained.

The upcoming conference will span from September 26 to September 29 and promises to be a busy one with technical sessions, paper presentations, deliberations, workshops, and bilateral discussions among member nations.

“Nigeria has the distinct honor of chairing and hosting this historic gathering.” This means that representatives from across the African continent, as well as observers from beyond the continent, would be welcomed in Abuja,” Haruna noted.

Dr. Oliver Stolpe of the UNODC commented on the summit’s significance, saying, “The HONLAF meeting will focus on cooperative strategies to reduce illicit production and cultivation of narcotics.” The NDLEA in Nigeria has made laudable efforts to combat cannabis plantations and the creation of synthetic narcotics such as methamphetamine.”

Dr. Stolpe also stated that the meeting would focus on the financial elements of drug trafficking, specifically the use of cryptocurrencies and techniques for tracing and confiscating drug trade proceeds.

The UNODC and the National Institute of Security Studies will also present an in-depth analysis of organized crime trends posing dangers to Nigeria during the summit’s opening ceremony.