The chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen Buba Marwa(retd) has raised serious concerns over the illicit use of hard drugs in the country.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NANS, Marwa spoke in Kaduna state on Tuesday during his presentation at the two-day interactive session on government-citizens’ engagement , organsied by the Ahmadu Bello Foundation.
The NDLEA Chairman however said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support has assisted the agency to effectively delver on its mandate of combating the prevalence of substance abuse, noting that the president has shown keen interest in addressing the problem of drug trafficking in the country.
He stressed that drug abuse is one of the three major problems facing the country, adding that over 14 million Nigerians are currently battling with drug abuse problems, with the south west on top of the list drug abusers.
Marwa: “Over 14 million Nigerians are battling with drug abuse issues. From the South-West region, we have 24.4 per cent drug abuse prevalence, South-South has 18 per cent, South-East 13.8, North-East 13.4, North-West 12 per cent, and North-Central 10 per cent.
“These are UN figures, and they call for serious concern. 12 per cent is high, because in North-West, we have three million people, followed by Kano with one million. Drug prevalence not only harms our youths, societies, and families, but also encourages criminal activities like kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism,”
He said Tinubu’s “unwavering support has enhanced our intelligence and boosted our capacity. We now have intelligent modern tools, operations vehicles, and sophisticated weapons to protect our men and women against drug cartels.”
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