The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that according to projections by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the number of people using drugs will increase by 40% in Africa.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the anti-narcotics agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), who disclosed this while delivering the keynote address at a seminar organized by the Ijebu Ode Council of Olorituns in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state on Saturday 9th August 2025, added that Nigeria has one of the highest drug use prevalence in the world.
Despite the projection however, he said, all hope is not lost. He therefore called for collective action involving families, religious and community leaders to stem the tide of substance abuse, cultism and banditry among Nigerian youths.
“As a nation and as communities, we still possess the power to reverse this trend. The first step is collective responsibility. Parents, religious institutions, traditional rulers, educational authorities and community leaders must rise with one voice against these vices. The family unit must be strengthened as the first point of moral instruction, while schools should be safe spaces that promote discipline, mentorship and awareness”, he said.
At the seminar, themed “Dangers of drug abuse, cultism and banditry among youths”, Marwa noted that collective responsibility must be embraced by all stakeholders to curb the menace of the inter-linked social vices of illicit drugs, cultism and banditry.
He said the triple threat of cult-related violence, rampant abuse of drugs and illicit substances, and the challenge of banditry across various regions, is a reality that must be dealt with decisively.
“While these issues may appear distinct, they are intricately connected, feeding one another in a cycle of destruction that must be broken if our society is to thrive. Cultism, once largely confined to tertiary institutions, has insidiously spread into secondary schools and neighbourhoods. What began as secret gatherings has transformed into violent confraternities, often manipulated by political or criminal interests. These groups lure young people, often under the guise of brotherhood, protection or empowerment, into a world of fear, violence and premature death. Tragically, the hands of many of our youth have been stained with the blood of their peers, all for false promises of belonging and power”, he stated.
He underscored the need to invest in youth development by creating opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition and sports, bearing in mind that idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
Dwelling on how the NDLEA is responding to the challenge, Marwa said that the agency has intensified the war against drug trafficking and abuse, with nationwide raids leading to significant seizures and arrests.
He noted specifically that the agency had, in the past four and half years arrested 67,345 traffickers, including 95 barons, of whom, 12,415 are presently serving various jail terms.
“The barons we have arrested are not anonymous people in society. They include big business people and socialites—some of them have chieftaincy titles—and also government officials, including those tasked with maintaining law and order. That tells how deeply the rot has eaten into the fabric of our society”, he said.
Marwa further disclosed that the agency had seized more than 11.2 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and destroyed 1,572 hectares of cannabis farms mostly in Southwest states where some people are cultivating cannabis on a large scale, utilising land that should have been used for other cash crops for illicit crops.
He assured that the agency is scaling up its Drug Demand Reduction programmes, including school outreaches, community sensitisation and rehabilitation initiatives, having conducted 11,584 sensitisation lectures in schools, work places, worship centres, motor parks, palaces of traditional rulers and communities, while 27,187 drug users have been treated and rehabilitated through its 30 rehabilitation facilities across the country in addition to thousands of others who have benefitted from the psychosocial support services provided on its toll free helpline: 080010203040.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the Council, Chief Adebisi Adeola Alausa, commended Marwa for accepting the Council’s invitation.
“Your presence today reflects our shared commitment to safeguarding the future of our community and our nation. We are gathered here not merely as individuals, but as a united front, as traditional leaders, government officials, parents, educators, and most importantly, our youths, to confront challenges that threaten the very fabric of our society. The issues we address today, the drug abuse, cultism, and banditry, are not distant problems”, he said.
