The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has subjected its sniffer dogs and handlers to specialised training by German experts as the agency moves to strengthen its capacity to detect increasingly concealed narcotics at Nigeria’s airports, seaports and border crossings.
The refresher training was conducted at the NDLEA Canine Unit Facility in Lagos in collaboration with Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA).
It was facilitated by two German technical dog-handling experts, Andreas Roscher and Jacqueline Shüler, who trained Nigerian handlers on advanced techniques for deploying sniffer dogs in drug detection operations.
The exercise involved 11 personnel from the NDLEA Canine Unit, including the unit commander, two veterinary doctors and eight dog handlers, alongside their service dogs.
Five additional officers from NDLEA commands in Lagos who are interested in joining the Canine Unit also participated in the training.
The training focused on advanced obedience and control, narcotics detection, scent imprinting and search patterns, as well as the deployment of sniffer dogs in high-risk operational environments.
As part of the exercise, the handlers and their dogs conducted practical simulations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) baggage hall, APM Terminals in Apapa and the MMIA NAHCO export shed.
The handlers were also trained on safety and tactical procedures for deploying canine assets during operations.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the exercise was necessary because drug trafficking networks were becoming increasingly sophisticated in concealing illicit substances.
Marwa said the agency’s canine teams remained critical to its drug detection and interdiction operations, particularly at points where traffickers attempt to conceal narcotics in luggage, cargo and other consignments.
“Our canine teams remain one of the most potent assets in our detection and interdiction efforts, and this is why we will continue to invest in their retraining and welfare,” Marwa said.
He added that the agency’s seizures of concealed narcotics at airports, seaports and border points were partly due to the skills of its handlers and the detection abilities of the dogs.
The NDLEA chief said the partnership with the German authorities would further strengthen the agency’s operational capacity and bring its canine operations in line with international standards.
Marwa, however, acknowledged manpower and logistics gaps within the Canine Unit, including the need for additional service dogs, personnel and boarding facilities.
According to him, the deficiencies have become more pressing as the agency seeks to effectively cover Nigeria’s international airports, seaports and land borders.
He said the agency was working to address the gaps and implement a recommendation for the specialised refresher training to become an annual exercise.
The NDLEA said strengthening its canine capacity was part of its broader efforts to improve the detection and interception of illicit drugs entering, leaving or moving through Nigeria.
