National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Kwara State Command, has cried out over the spate of drug abuse among youth in the state.
The state NDLEA commander, Mohammed Bashir Ibrahim, raised the this alarm while speaking among other narcotic experts in Ilorin at the first Kwara stakeholders summit on drug abuse, prevention, and control, with the theme, ‘Drug Law Enforcement in Kwara: Progress, Challenges, and Way Forward’.
Forging a common front in the fight against drug abuse, Ibrahim, noted that his men seized 1.8tons of banned substances in 2023, adding that the substances had been confiscated.
NDLEA commander bemoaned the alarming rate of drug abuse among the youth in Nigeria and particularly in Kwara state calling for concern of all stakeholders.
While appreciating the State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for his support so far, he pledged that the agency will strengthen constant education, enforcement, and rehabilitation programmes to rid the state of drug addiction.
He pointed out that the command will soon begin training of trainers in communities, who he said will comprise community and religious leaders in the state on how to prevent and control drug abuse.
The executive director, Global Initiative on Substance Abuse, Dr. Martins Agwogie, also stated that general ban on dangerous substances has led drug addicts to explore cemeteries for alternative remedies.
He asserted that drug addicts now besiege cemeteries to exhume corpses, gather their dry bones which they grind and later sniff.
Agwogie, however, decried total ban on substances, arguing that the step was merely taken because of abuse not considering those who actually need them as recommended medications.
He described drug abuse as a social menace, lamenting that Nigeria is one of the worst drug users in the world.
He lauded the efforts of the NDLEA and the National Food and Drug Administration and Control in fighting the menace.
Agwogie, while identifying solutions to curb drug abuse, advised state governments to take firm control by showing renewed interest in the menace rather than shifting the task to the two related agencies.
“All states have drug abuse control committees in their local governments. They should strengthen them and stop over-reliance on law enforcement agencies,” he said.
The Special Assistant to the president on citizenship and leadership, Ms. Rinsola Abiola, equally called for creation of more rehabilitation centres, seeking state governments’ dedicated partnership.
Rinsola Abiola also sought cooperation of the Kwara State in stemming the tide of drug abuse.
