US embassy cable - 01ABUJA3270

UNCLAS ABUJA 003270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
FOR INL A/S BEERS AND AF A/S KANSTEINER 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: NARCOTICS CERTIFICATION DISCUSSIONS 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
 
1.(SBU) I understand that A/S Beers chaired a December 13 
interagency meeting on the potential application of a new 
narcotics certification standard for those countries on the 
"majors" list, which includes Nigeria.  From what we have 
heard, Nigeria was given the dubious distinction of joining 
Burma, Afghanistan and Haiti as those that might meet the new 
(lower) standard for decertification.  While I understand 
that this was a preliminary, informal meeting, the new 
standard is now law (with the December 20th passing of the 
Foreign Operations Bill) and I am concerned about the 
predilection of some to condemn Nigeria, even after an 
unusually successful year of improvements on the law 
enforcement front.  Let us not forget that a little over two 
years ago we did not even have a dialogue with the NDLEA on 
counter-narcotics issues. 
 
 
2.(SBU) In the last 12 months, the GON has: 
 
 
--increased funding for the NDLEA by 200 percent; 
 
 
--introduced new money-laundering legislation and drafted 
additional legislative proposals to centralize and coordinate 
efforts to fight terrorism financing and financial crimes in 
line with the FATF; 
 
 
--increased drug seizures by almost 80 percent over 2000; 
 
 
--started the investigation of a major Nigeria-based 
trafficker in cooperation with DEA; 
 
 
--effectively prevented drug trafficking on direct flights 
from Nigeria to the U.S., which resumed in Frebuary (while we 
note far greater U.S. Customs seizures of drugs from flights 
originating in Ghana); 
 
 
--granted NDLEA access to Nigeria's sea ports - a 
long-standing USG demand; 
 
 
--opened the NDLEA Training Academy in Jos, which will yield 
a higher degree of professionalism within the Agency (the 
first class of 248 cadets graduated December 20); 
 
 
--opened a high-level law enforcement dialogue with the USG, 
covering the complete gambit of law enforcement issues (eight 
categories); and 
 
 
--engaged the Financial Action Task Force in an effort to 
address the FATF's and USG's concerns on money laundering 
(this includes taking the initiative of sending an Attorney 
General-led delegation to Rome in early December to meet with 
the FATF's Africa and Middle East Review Group). 
 
 
3.(SBU)  Underscoring the vastly improved GON performance on 
drug control this year was a report I recently received form 
the DEA Attache in Lagos:  on December 13 the NDLEA unit at 
Murtala Mohammed International Airport made a 3.8 kilogram 
seizure of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a suitcase 
belonging to a Rome-bound (via London on British Airways) 
passenger.  The seizure marks the first made using one of the 
INL-donated Itemisers.  Things have changed for the better. 
Nigeria deserves our congratulations and certification, not 
our condemnation and association with Burma and Afghanistan. 
Andrews