“Same criminal networks run drugs and piracy” – Marwa
By Felix Mbata, Lagos state
Two different crimes, one criminal network. That’s the thinking behind a new alliance signed Friday between the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC.
In a Memorandum of Understanding signed at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, both agencies agreed to work together to tackle drug trafficking and copyright piracy — crimes they say are funded and moved by the same syndicates.
Speaking during the signing on Friday 17th July 2026, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the partnership may look unusual on the surface, but it reflects the reality on the ground.
“Our experience at the frontlines of drug law enforcement has shown us time and again that criminal networks rarely confine themselves to a single illicit enterprise,” Marwa stated.
“The same syndicates that traffic in narcotics are often found dabbling in other forms of economic crime, including the piracy of intellectual works that rightfully belong to Nigeria’s creatives: our musicians, filmmakers, writers, and software developers. Proceeds from one illegal trade frequently find their way into financing the other. This is the criminal value chain we must disrupt together.”
Under the MoU, both agencies will exchange intelligence, coordinate joint operations, build officers’ capacity, and share technical resources. A Joint Working Committee will be set up to ensure the agreement delivers results.
Marwa stressed that the partnership goes beyond law enforcement. “It is about protecting the health and social wellbeing of our people, and about safeguarding the immense creative talent of this nation: a talent that deserves to thrive without the theft that piracy represents.”
On his part, NCC Director General, Dr. John Asein, said the alliance is timely. He noted that large-scale piracy is “a highly organised and profitable criminal enterprise” that destroys jobs, reduces government revenue, and weakens Nigeria’s creative economy.
“International experience has demonstrated that organised copyright piracy is rarely an isolated criminal activity. Across several jurisdictions, the same criminal syndicates, logistics channels, financial networks and distribution systems used to traffic pirated goods have also been linked to other forms of transnational organised crime, including narcotics trafficking, money laundering, smuggling and cyber-enabled offences,” Asein explained.
He praised NDLEA’s “world-class expertise in intelligence-led law enforcement” and said the partnership will help both agencies identify criminal networks, trace illicit financial flows, and dismantle structures that sustain organised crime.
Conclusively, with this MoU, the government is connecting the dots. The truck that moves meth can also move pirated movies. The bank account that launders drug money can also fund piracy.
For Nigeria’s creatives and communities, it means better protection. For criminal syndicates, it means nowhere to hide.
As Marwa put it: “This is how effective government works; agencies finding the common threads in their missions and pulling together rather than in isolation.”
Source: Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja. Friday 17th July 2026