The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is set to host delegates from 54 African countries and 15 observer nations on September 26, 2023 in Abuja for the 31st meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF). This was made known on Tuesday at joint press briefing by the Secretary to NDLEA, Shadrach Haruna and the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Oliver Stolpe.
Haruna, who represented the Chairman of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd.) at the press briefing, revealed that the 31st HONLAF meeting would discuss and develop methods to combat drug trafficking and its abuse on the African continent.
He said, “The HONLAF meeting is an annual event. The last one was held in Nairobi, Kenya, where Nigeria was unanimously elected as the host of the 31st edition, which will take place from Tuesday, September 26 to Friday, September 29, 2023, in Abuja.
“This annual HONLAF meeting features a line-up of activities that include technical meetings, paper presentations, deliberations on reports and trends, workshops, and bilateral talks among member nations. It is platform for brokering collaborations in the areas of shared intelligence, joint training, and joint operations against international drug cartels in the African region.
“This year, Nigeria has the honor of being the chair and host of the meeting. So, it means delegates from 53 other African countries will converge on the FCT, Abuja, on Monday, and for the rest of the week, they will be guests of the NDLEA and the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Commenting on the upcoming meeting, Stolpe said, “There will also be discussion on alternative development, an approach promoted by many countries; financial investigation in drug trafficking cases and the role of cryptocurrency in drug trafficking cases and money laundering.”
He also commented on the great strides made by NDLEA in its fight against trafficking of illicit drugs.
