Thursday, June 26, 2025 - The National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency, Oyo State Command, says about four to five out of 10
undergraduates are into drugs.
The state NDLEA Commander, Olayinke Joe-Fadile, disclosed
this in Ibadan on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 during the command’s rally in
commemoration of the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking.
The day, also known as World Drug Day, is marked every June
26 to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving a world free of drug
abuse.
According to Joe-Fadile, the menace of drug abuse is getting
more worrisome as statistics have shown that younger people are getting exposed
to drug use and offences.
“We are intensifying efforts on our campaigns across primary
and secondary schools, including tertiary institutions in the state, because
the demography of people using drugs is getting lower by the day," he
said.
“We now can see children from age nine upward taking drugs.
The statistics are also showing us that about four to five out of 10
undergraduates are into drugs.”
The NDLEA boss said that the 2025 campaign highlights the
need for coordinated long-term action to break the cycle of organised crime and
drug trafficking.
This, he said, could be achieved by addressing root causes,
investing in prevention and building stronger health, education and social
systems
He noted that the command had, in the last few months,
arrested 150 persons for drug-related offences and burnt about 11 tons of
different kinds of seized illicit substances.
Joe-Fadile cautioned that drug users could have their
internal organs destroyed, leading to a slow and painful d3ath.
He warned that the NDLEA would not relent in its efforts to
ensure that manufacturers, producers, and sellers of illicit drugs in Oyo State
face the full wrath of the law.
"We believe that every day is for the thieves, but one day is for the owner. NDLEA will soon knock at the doors of drug peddlers to pick them for prosecution and necessary legal trials,” he added.
He said that most traditional leaders in the state had been inducted as NDLEA ambassadors to carry out campaigns against drug abuse among their constituents.
"We have also discovered that many people respect and
listen to religious leaders, hence we are collaborating with them, using their
platforms to reach out to many people,” he said.
NAN reports that participants at the rally include officers
from the Nigerian Army, Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Customs
Service.
In addition are the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Youth Service Corps, among others.
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