Hawkins made this statement during the donation of technical equipment for the establishment of a Centre for Intelligence Sharing, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Lagos.
He said, “Assistance to the various security agencies in Nigeria runs in the area of $3m annually. We are talking in terms of training and other logistics. There are a number of US agencies that work hand in hand with the NDLEA – the Homeland security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of State.
“The NDLEA, so far has been an outstanding partner in Africa. It is a leader in combating drug trafficking. This is why the US consulate is proud to make this modest contribution to improve intelligence sharing capacity of the NDLEA.”
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Mr. Ahamdu Giade, commended the US for the gesture. He said, “Nigeria’s partnership with the US has been fruitful. I still recall how the US donated scanning equipment to the agency in 2008 and this has greatly enhanced our investigative capacity.
“The equipment donated today is concerned with data issues which we had been collating manually. This war against trafficking is a shared responsibility and the US has been sharing information with the NDLEA and also assisting us with their experts.”
Adding that Nigeria was winning the fight against trafficking through the sustained support of the US, Giade said, “Our collaboration in the area of intelligence gathering and joint operations has undisputedly led to high profile seizures and arrests. Appropriate training remains vital to the success of any intelligence driven task like drug control.”
Culled: Punchng
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