• Say 3m bottles of Codeine consumed daily in Kano, Jigawa
From Godwin Tsa Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) have called on the Federal government to declare a state of emergency on the menace of hard drugs.
They made the call in Abuja at the 2025 national human rights lecture organized by HURIWA with the theme” Keeping Nigeria Children free from hard drugs: A task for All.”
Speaking as a special guest at the lecture, Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) lamented the ravaging effects of drug abuse on the society, linking the rising cases of violent crimes to high rates of drug abuses in the society.
Gen. Marwa spoke through his representative and agency Secretary, Shadrach Haruna, noted that the menace of drug abuse is a national problem which has fuelled violent crimes and insecurity in many parts of the country.
He disclosed that the NDLEA has worked out strategies for not only stopping the acquisition and distribution of narcotic substances, but also engaged in massive education and enlightenment to get the entire society on board to fight the menace, which he noted is touching every segment of the society.
Marwa added that his Agency has not only stopped at seizure, arrest and prosecution of drug traffickers, but also recommended compulsory tests for public office holders, intending couples and others in order to facilitate the rehabilitation and management of those who are already using drugs and commended HURIWA for its efforts in assisting the NDLEA in the fight against illicit drugs.
Earlier in his welcome speech, the national coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, decried the devastating effects of hard drugs consumption on the nation’s youths.
He noted that Nigeria is currently facing a major crisis of hard drugs addictions by young Nigerians.
“Nigerian kids are almost as badly affected as some youngsters the BBC reported about in the UK who are hooked on a particular kind of drug kantamine. Kantamine, a powerful horse tranquiliser and anaesthetic, is a licensed drug and can be prescribed medically.
“Around May this year, the alarming rate of addiction to hard drugs by young Nigerians became a major talking point and it was emphatically stated that Nigeria is grappling with an alarming drug crisis, with a United Nations report revealing that 14.4 per cent of its population aged 15 to 64 (nearly triple the global average) abuse drugs.
“The scientific statistics show that, one in five drug users suffers from disorders requiring urgent treatment. Also, psychiatric studies show that 82.5 per cent of boys in correctional facilities have mental health challenges.
“It was said that as drug trafficking fuels violent extremism and economic collapse, the country risks deeper instability, crime, and a lost generation of youths without swift intervention. This is exactly why we in the HURIWA have decided to focus more on this menace affecting the youngsters in Nigeria as our main theme for the yearly lecture today.
“We reliably learnt that a study conducted at a Borstal Institution in North-Central Nigeria found that 82.5 per cent of adolescent male residents had psychiatric disorders. The most prevalent conditions were disruptive behaviour disorders (40.8 per cent), followed by substance use disorders (15.8 per cent), anxiety disorders (14.2 per cent), psychosis (6.7 per cent), and mood disorders (five per cent).”
A professor of psychiatry and clinical psychology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Olurotimi Coker, raised an alarm over the growing mental health crisis among boys in Nigeria.
In the year 2017, it was reported that unless there is urgent intervention, experts have warned that Nigeria may be building a nation of drug addicts. This is not unconnected with latest reports which show that three million bottles of codeine are consumed daily in Kano and Jigawa states.
Even the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration of Nigeria( NAFDAC), has expressed worry over uncontrolled use of codeine containing cough syrups across the country.
We in the HURIWA are pleased to state that the NDLEA, under the leadership of Marwa has done a lot of spade work on the strategies for combating the threat posed to our youngsters by hard drugs that dangerous people move around in Nigeria looking for the children they would destroy. This is why we are calling for the declaration of a national state of emergency on hard drugs addictions by Nigerian children.
This emergency declaration should be specifically made by President Bola Tinubu and then, it is important that the NDLEA is granted the necessary legal framework and the resources necessary for waging the kind of intensive battles they are doing against involvement of Nigerian children in hard drugs addictions.
On his part, a former deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Sadiq Abba, called on Nigerians to join hands with the NDLEA in the fight against illicit drugs.
He further advocated for adequate funding of the NDLEA through increased budgetary allocation as well a legal frame work for effective discharge of it’s statutory responsibilities.
The post NDLEA, HURIWA call for state of emergency on hard drugs appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
