The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is set to host the heads of anti-narcotic bodies in Abuja. Delegates from 54 African countries and 15 observer nations will gather in the capital city next week for the 31st meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF). This event aims to address emerging trends and foster partnerships to combat the global drug epidemic.
Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media & Advocacy at NDLEA, made this announcement during a joint press briefing on Tuesday, along with Shadrach Haruna, the Secretary to NDLEA, and Oliver Stolpe, the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The agenda for the meeting includes discussions and collaborations on various topics, such as alternative development to reduce cannabis cultivation, asset forfeiture, cryptocurrency, and money laundering by drug cartels, among others.
Shadrach Haruna, representing the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), emphasized that the purpose of the 31st meeting is to enable heads of drug law enforcement agencies in Africa to discuss and develop strategies to combat drug trafficking and abuse in the region.
He further stated, “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 lineup of activities that include technical meetings, paper presentations, deliberations on reports and trends, workshops, and bilateral talks among member nations. It is a 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 Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Monday, and for the rest of the week, they will be guests of NDLEA and the Federal Government of Nigeria. Aside from delegates from African countries, there will be representatives from observer bodies and other non-African countries who will be attending to watch the proceedings.”
The opening ceremony of the conference will feature President Bola Tinubu delivering the keynote address and declaring the conference open as the special guest of honor. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, along with invited ministers and heads of relevant parastatals and agencies, will also be in attendance.
Oliver Stolpe emphasized that the HONLAF meeting will focus on regional and national cooperation to reduce illicit drug production and cultivation, including the manufacture of drugs like methamphetamine.