The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (rtd) has called for collective action involving families, religious and community leaders to stem the tide of substance abuse, cultism and banditry among Nigerian youths.
Marwa described the triple threat of cult-related violence, rampant abuse of drugs and illicit substances and the challenge of banditry across various regions as a reality that must be dealt with decisively.
The NDLEA Boss, who made the call while delivering the keynote address at a seminar organised by the Ijebu Ode Council of Olorituns in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State on Saturday with tht theme: “Dangers of drug abuse, cultism and banditry among youths”, 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.
According to him, “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.”
Dwelling on how the NDLEA was responding to the challenge, Marwa said “We have intensified our war against drug trafficking and abuse. Nationwide raids have led to significant seizures and arrests, which we share weekly on our official channels.
“In the past 54 months, we have arrested 67, 345 traffickers, including 95 barons, and 12, 415 of them 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 had eaten into the fabric of our society,” he said
He added that within the period, the anti-narcotic agency had seized more than 11.2 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and destroyed 1,572 hectares of cannabis farms mostly in South-West states where some people cultivate cannabis on a large scale, utilising land that should have been used for other cash crops for illicit crops.
“We are also scaling up our Drug Demand Reduction programmes, including school outreaches, community sensitisation and rehabilitation initiatives.
“We have within the same period conducted 11,584 sensitisatioin 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 our 30 rehab facilities across the country”, he said.
Marwa stressed that this is in addition to thousands of others who have benefitted from the psychosocial support services provided through the NDLEA’s tollfree helpline: 080010203040.
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