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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has revealed that approximately three million people in the Northwest geopolitical zone are struggling with drug addiction, highlighting the severity of substance abuse in the region.

Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, made this disclosure on Monday during the flag-off ceremony of the Northwest geopolitical zone campaign against illicit drug use in Kaduna. The sensitization campaign, themed ‘Stop Drug Abuse and Domestic Violence in Our Communities’, aims to curb the rising tide of drug abuse and its associated social consequences.

The programme was initiated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and organized by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with the NDLEA. Addressing stakeholders at the event, Marwa described drug abuse as a major public health crisis that requires urgent collective action.

“The 2018 National Drug Use Survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed an alarming reality: 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15–64 use psychoactive substances,” he said.

He called on state governments, lawmakers, local authorities, and private stakeholders to collaborate with the NDLEA in finding lasting solutions to the drug crisis. Marwa also urged parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community members to play active roles in drug prevention, rehabilitation, and ensuring that traffickers face justice.
“The success of this campaign requires the support of everyone. Parents, community leaders, traditional rulers, pastors, and imams must strengthen their resolve to prevent drug abuse, support those affected by it, and ensure that drug traffickers face the full force of the law,” he emphasized.

In its efforts to combat drug addiction, the NDLEA has established 30 counselling and rehabilitation centres across the country, providing psychosocial interventions, medical care, referrals, and social reintegration for recovering drug users.

Marwa disclosed that a total of 22,047 individuals have been counselled, treated, and rehabilitated through these facilities over the past four years.