Youths Now Glamourise Illicit Drug Use, Says NDLEA Commander

The commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in  Kwara State, Bashir Ibrahim has promised to make the agency more visible in sports events as a way of drug trafficking control.

Ibrahim said the decision is borne out of recent challenges faced in policing drug traffickers in the state.

The NDLEA commander said that youths are especially vulnerable to drug abuse because, “youths tend to glamorize drug use. Matters are not helped when adults, handlers of athletes tend to sell them the drugs. We recently secured conviction of a coach who was selling drugs to young athletes in his care.”

Ibrahim spoke when some sports reporters visited him in his office in Ilorin, the state capital.

The NDLEA commander also revealed grim scenario in drug law enforcement in the state, saying that use and supply of synthetic cannabis, modified form of Indian hemp, is now prevalent among drug abusers.

He added that more women appear to be involved in the supply chain of the banned substances like the synthetic cannabis.

Earlier, the state chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN), Ayodeji Ismail, had  said that sports writers are very much aware of the dangers drug abuse pose to sports and youth development.

He urged the NDLEA to always make their presence felt at sports events, adding that, ” your presence will help keep drug traffickers away from our athletes.”