The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has trained selected commanders and officers of the agency in the Advance Passenger Information System and Passenger Targeting/Intelligence Gathering.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, NDLEA said in a statement on Friday that the training was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the agency’s operational efficiency at the country’s major airports.

Mr Babafemi said the commander of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Lagos strategic command of NDLEA), Usman Wadar, participated in the training.

He said that at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the narcotics commander, Mohammed Ajiya, also participated in the six-day training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

He added that 13 other officers from the MMIA and NAIA Commands participated in a five-day training in Abuja.

NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa praised the two commanders and other officers who participated in the Abidjan and Abuja training sessions for their interest and commitment.

“According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC), which facilitated the training held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and Abuja, the workshops were designed to enhance the capacity of the agency’s commands at airports.

“This is to target and intercept high-risk passengers, cargo and mail, to help combat illicit drug trafficking. They will also help facilitate communication and coordination between countries of origin, transit, and destination in order to destabilise illicit cross-border flows and criminal networks.

“They are all expected to impact the knowledge and skills acquired during the sessions on their other colleagues,” the statement said.

The training was funded by the European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States under the AIRCOP Airport Communication Project, implemented by the UNODC.

(NAN)