Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Buba Marwa, has raised an alarm that over 60 per cent of drug offenders arrested in Nigeria over the past five years are young people.
He also said the majority of the 48,836 drug users
counselled and treated in NDLEA facilities within the same period were young
people.
Marwa disclosed this on Tuesday while delivering a public
lecture at the University of Abuja, as part of its 29th and 30th combined
convocation ceremony.
“Statistics from NDLEA activities further infused dire
angles to this drug use dossier and invariably throw up a disturbing portrait
of substance abuse among youths.
“For instance, of the 77,859 drug offenders arrested in the
past five years, over 60 per cent of them were young people, both male and
female, some of them as young as 15 years old.
“Similarly, the majority of the 48,836 drug users counselled
and treated in NDLEA treatment facilities within the same period were
overwhelmingly young people,” a statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi
Babafemi, read.
Marwa warned that drug use carries severe consequences that
could permanently derail the future of students and young professionals.
“A criminal record for drug offences is a life sentence on
your career before it even begins. You cannot practice law, medicine, or
engineering with a drug-related conviction,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman expressed concern over the changing
dynamics of drug abuse, noting a shift from traditional substances like
cannabis to synthetic opioids and designer drugs such as Colorado, Loud and
Methamphetamine.
He also highlighted the growing role of social media in drug
distribution and the involvement of students in trafficking.
He further described drug abuse as closely linked to cultism
and campus violence, warning that it damages mental capacity by eroding memory
and critical thinking, while also contributing to cases of psychosis and
premature death among youths.
Citing findings from the 2018 National Drug Use and Health
Survey, Marwa said many Nigerians were introduced to substance abuse around the
age of 19, with increasing cases of experimentation among children below 15
years.
“In summary, the report indicted Nigerian youths,
predominantly those between 25 and 39, for substance abuse,” he noted, adding
that early exposure to drugs continued to worsen the crisis.
Addressing graduating students, Marwa urged them to remain
focused and avoid peer pressure, stressing that success in a fast-evolving,
technology-driven world requires a clear and sober mind.
“There is no room for a clouded mind in a fast-paced world.
Choose your circle. Peer pressure is the primary gateway. If your friends
require you to be ‘high’ to belong, you are in the wrong company,” he said.
He also called on stakeholders, including educational
institutions and families, to intensify efforts to combat drug abuse, warning
that its effects extend beyond individuals to families, institutions and
society at large.
“Drug abuse does not affect only the user. It ripples
outward: families suffer emotional and financial strain; institutions face
reputational damage; society bears the burden of lost productivity and
increased crime,” he said.
Marwa commended the management of the University of Abuja
for collaborating with the NDLEA to strengthen campus surveillance and urged
other institutions to prioritise drug education during student orientation and
academic programmes.
Drug abuse has remained a persistent public health and
security concern in Nigeria, particularly among young people, with authorities
warning of its growing spread within schools and tertiary institutions.
The NDLEA has, in recent years, intensified enforcement,
counselling and awareness campaigns to curb the rising use of illicit
substances and dismantle trafficking networks targeting youths.
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