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The US Consular General, Will Stevens, on Wednesday, opened and handed over the $ 500,000 newly renovated and modernised chemical forensic laboratory to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, in Lagos.
The NDLEA said the forensic laboratory would strengthen operational standards and enhance the anti-narcotics agency’s effectiveness in combating substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking across Nigeria.
Stevens said the $500,000 investment was to ensure that US partners have the state-of-the-art equipment needed to analyse suspicious substances and evidence collected from crime scenes and suspects.
He noted that the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had found that more than 100,000 individuals were estimated to have died from drug overdose in the last year.
The Consular commended the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), his team, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Country Representative, Danilo Campisi, and his team for their fight against drugs.
He said, “We are faced with a common threat of illegal drugs and drug trafficking. Illicit drug production, trafficking, and consumption are linked to organised crime, illegal financial flows, corruption, and increasingly terrorist financing.
“There is also an individual impact of illegal drugs, for those who struggle with drug abuse and their families and friends.
“We all need to work together to fight this transnational crime because it endangers us all.’’
He said the increasing flow of drugs was a threat to African countries, the United States, and the world.
Speaking at the inauguration of the refurbished forensic laboratory in Lagos on Wednesday, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who represented the NDLEA Chairman, Marwa, emphasised the importance of modern forensic laboratories to the successful fight against illicit drugs in the country.
He said, “With this facility, we are now anticipating the provision of state-of-the-art analytical equipment, which will enhance optimal performance in line with standard operational laboratory procedures and best practices, which, in turn, will enhance evidence-based analytical processes in our forensic analysis.” Punch.
