US-AFRICOM Delegation Meets Marwa in Abuja, Assures NDLEA of Enhanced Collaboration and Support

Abuja, Tuesday, January 13, 2026

A delegation of senior officials from the United States Africa Command (US-AFRICOM) on Tuesday met with the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), assuring the Agency of enhanced collaboration and sustained support in the fight against illicit drugs.
The meeting, held in Abuja, focused on strengthening the long-standing partnership between NDLEA and US-AFRICOM, with members of the delegation commending the existing relationship and the leadership of the NDLEA boss.

Leader of the delegation, Philip Esch, who is the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) Liaison to AFRICOM, described the relationship between NDLEA and the US-DEA as highly strategic and of great importance to the United States government. He praised Marwa for his leadership style and openness to international cooperation.

“We appreciate all the support and the leadership you provide. Obviously, you know that the relationship between NDLEA and DEA is of utmost importance, and we appreciate the excellent relationship across US law enforcement with you and the NDLEA. We want that to continue, and we are very happy that your tenure was renewed for another five years. We really look forward to continued engagement,” Esch said.

Another member of the delegation, James Elseth, also expressed excitement about supporting NDLEA, noting that the Agency’s achievements in Nigeria have positive security implications beyond the country’s borders.

“I want to thank you, General, because you have a regional mindset and an international mindset, that is showing clearly in the scope and impact of your work. A lot of countries that we work with are only focused on their country. And just like DEA and FBI, we have an international mindset to try to stop organized crime from impacting our respective countries,” Elseth stated.
He further commended NDLEA for the effective maintenance and use of equipment and facilities earlier provided by the US government, assuring that two major support projects were already underway in addition to ongoing training programmes and other forms of assistance.

In his response, Marwa expressed appreciation for the visit and the consistent support from US-AFRICOM, while congratulating Philip Esch for his years of meritorious service to the United States government.

“We appreciate very much the ongoing support from AFRICOM. I must also say that whatever we are achieving is due to this kind of support from you and our other international partners, and more importantly due to the commitment and encouragement from the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Marwa said.

He urged the US-AFRICOM team to continue supporting NDLEA, particularly in view of the strong nexus between illicit drugs and terrorism. According to him, the Agency would benefit from additional support in areas such as airport scanning equipment, digital forensic tools, portable drug detection devices, forensic laboratory equipment and sniffer dogs, among others.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of NDLEA and US-AFRICOM to deepen cooperation in combating drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.