BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced that drug control committees will soon be inaugurated in communities across the country in line with its resolve not to back down on the fight against abuse of illicit drugs as well as trafficking in drugs.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with The Point recently.
Babafemi said the latest efforts being undertaken by the Agency would help in addressing the increasing rate of youths’ engagement in illicit drugs.
During the third National Youths Conference on drug abuse organised by a non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Ethical Rebirth Among Nigerian Youth, held recently in Abuja, the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes to Nigeria, Oliver Stolpe, noted that 14.4 per cent of Nigerians engaged in drug abuse.
Of this number, he said 27.7 per cent were youths with one in every 10 drug users being a woman.
The UNODC, in its World Drug Report 2021, on Thursday, predicted that the country would have about 20 million drug users by 2030, as over 14.3 million people in Nigeria engaged in different forms of drug addiction.
Babafemi noted that the NDLEA had resolved to tackle drug abuse through effective control mechanisms, adding, “We are trying to push it to the point where every community in Nigeria will have a drug control committee. In every community, they know themselves, they can and should be able to identify those who indulge in this, whether as traffickers or as abusers.
“That way, they can call them to order and if they fail to yield, they can hand them over or they report them to the NDLEA or other relevant law enforcement agencies.
“The primary responsibility of the NDLEA is drug supply and drug demand reduction. Our officers across the country have been to several schools, talking to students and other young minds, in order to let them know and share facts with them about the dangers of drugs and discourage them from venturing into it.”
“We also have the responsibility to counsel those that had already delved into the bad habits because we know that quite a number of them are also victims. We have to show them some love, counsel them, tell them why they need to opt out, and if need be, we can refer them to places where they can get treatment,” he stated.
“The primary responsibility of the NDLEA is drug supply and drug demand reduction”
Recalling that President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, June 26, at the Presidential Villa, launched the National Drug Control Master Plan 2021-2025, Babafemi said, “The document stipulates what roles each of these stakeholders must play. It is like a strategy book that gives direction to each of the stakeholders on what to do regarding illicit drug trafficking and abuse.”
There had been increasing reports of arrests of Nigerians involved in ferrying illicit drugs to other parts of the world. A Nigerian, who was, on Tuesday, arrested in the Pulghar district by officials from Arnala, Maharashtra for having in his possession, 230 grams of cocaine worth Rs 23 Lakhs and a huge sum of Rs 10,000 cash, was dispossessed of them.
To check the increasing involvement of Nigerians in drug trafficking across the world, Babafemi said, “We have partnership and working relationships with a number of countries across the world. We share intelligence; we also have operating treaties with some of the countries.
“In all, it’s a greater phenomenon, no country can stand as an island. It’s a global effort, so we are doing all we need to do.”
