Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, the chief of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has stated that 15 million Nigerians use illegal narcotics.
Marwa said this in Jos during an interactive session with Plateau State's local government chairmen. He bemoaned the rise in the distribution and use of illegal narcotics, claiming that one out of every seven Nigerians was a drug addict.
Marwa, who also paid a courtesy visit on Plateau Governor Simon Lalong, described the trend as "shameful," and said the agency has put measures in place to combat the issue, noting that the spike in drug usage had ruined many youths and communities As a result, the reason for the interactive session."
"As I talk to you, 15 million Nigerians use illicit drugs; one out of every seven Nigerians uses hard narcotics," he says. There is no locality in Nigeria that is immune to drug misuse, which is why we continue to have security difficulties.
"Drugs fuel a lot of undesirable behavior, especially among young people; it destroys our kids and even communities." As a result, we've come to meet with local government chairmen in the hopes of working together to find a long-term solution to this problem. We want the chairmen to collaborate and help us in our efforts to eradicate the hydra-headed monster known as drug misuse from our society."
In response, Lalong noted that the NDLEA has done a lot in Nigeria, notably in Plateau State, including apprehending drug lords who previously felt untouchable and lowering the frequency of violent crimes in the state.
He encouraged Marwa to take more efforts to keep the state from being used as a drug transit state and to aid those who have already been victimized.
Mr Shehu Usman, chairman of Jos North Local Government, spoke on behalf of his colleagues and complimented Marwa for hosting the interactive session, stating that such an act would assist to increase awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and other vices.
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