HEADS of drug law enforcement agencies in Africa have demanded the creation of specialised courts to hear drug issues and other cases of organized crimes on the continent.
This was one of the suggestions at the 31st Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF), which ended on Friday, September 29, in Abuja.
In a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesperson, the body stated that African governments should consider establishing national specialized courts and asset recovery offices to deal with organised crime and money laundering, and to support tracking down, recovering, and managing criminal proceeds.
The forum recommended the use of some of the regional and international cooperation instruments namely West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors (WACAP), the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Southern Africa (ARINSA), and the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of West Africa (ARINWA) to support the goals.
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The group also urged governments in African countries to promote cooperation and sharing of best practices in the confiscation of proceeds of crime, including drug-related cases.
“Governments should adopt adequate legal and regulatory frameworks on virtual assets, including cryptocurrencies, to prevent and combat their use for drug-related crime and money-laundering,” part of the statement read.
Other recommendations adopted by the HONLAF working group during the annual meeting include asking African governments to develop and implement drug policy responses that address, indirectly or directly, the environmental impact of illicit crop cultivation, drug manufacture and drug use, taking into consideration their positive and negative effects.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org