NIGERIA’S DRUG WAR: A Call to Action As Mrs Tinubu, UNODC, Marwa charge states on community-based interventions
. 62,595 suspects arrested, 11,628 convicted and 10.3million kilograms illicit drugs seized in 51 months
Oru Leonard
The fight against illicit drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria received a boost as the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), urged state governments to adopt community-based interventions.
In her keynote address at a training workshop organized by NDLEA for the Nigeria Governors Spouses Forum in Abuja on Tuesday 6th May 2025, Senator Tinubu who was represented by wife of the Deputy Senate President, Hajiya Laila Jibrin Barau commended the NDLEA, and NGSF for the initiative aimed at advancing drug control efforts to the grassroots across the country. She specifically commended Marwa and his team for courageously confronting the fight against illicit drug abuse and trafficking in the country.
According to her, This training cannot be coming at any better time than now when statistics and daily life experiences are revealing that drugs have infiltrated every nook and cranny of our communities. As a nation, we are confronted with a growing crisis, one that affects the very core of our society, the health, safety, and future of our children.
Key Highlights include:
-NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa, revealed that the agency has arrested 62,595 drug suspects, seized 10.3 million kilograms of illicit drugs, and convicted 11,628 offenders in 51 months.
– The stakeholders emphasized the need for community-driven responses to tackle the growing crisis of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
– UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Ousmane Toure, urged state governments to prioritize dedicated budgets for prevention and treatment, establish state-specific drug control task forces, and allocate local government funds to build community drop-in centers.
Call to Action:
– State governments to embrace and entrench community-based interventions to curb the impact of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
– First Ladies to utilize their influence to channel resources into prevention and treatment efforts, adopting evidence-based programs and decentralizing treatment access.
– Collaborations in order to foster multisectoral collaboration through State Drug Control Committees (SDCCs) to ensure effective implementation of drug control efforts.
Experts emphasized the need for evidence-based strategies, prevention initiatives, and holistic treatment approaches to address the complex issue of drug abuse.
Stakeholders stressed the importance of community engagement, education, and awareness in preventing drug abuse and promoting recovery.
By working together, Nigeria can build a stronger, more resilient society, free from the scourge of illicit drug abuse and trafficking.
