The United States government has announced a project that will strengthen the forensic and chemical analysis capacity of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as well as its intelligence gathering and prosecution capabilities.

The latest support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) comes on the heels of an award of N500 million grant to fund selected projects in the agency by the Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative (ASR Africa).

According to an official letter announcing the U.S. project grant to the NDLEA, the award followed requests by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) during a series of meetings with top U.S. officials both in Abuja and in Washington DC.

The letter noted that the project will be implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria.

The U.S. government said aside from the support for the forensic and chemical analysis capacity of the agency, the project will further support NDLEA efforts to conduct intelligence-led investigations through diverse resources as well as legal books and an e-library for prosecution and other legal needs of the agency.

“Through all this, the NDLEA will be better equipped to prosecute cases with reliable evidence, using improved collection, handling, and custodial procedures. We appreciate our strong and continued working relationship and believe this project will be an important step in advancing our shared goal of a united, peaceful, and stable Nigeria”, the letter added.