Nigeria is again in the news for unfortunate reasons, this time related to drugs in high places. The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has alleged that the house of Senator Oyelola Ashiru, a senior member of the Nigerian Senate, serves as a warehouse for illicit drugs. Before this, the same Senator had accused the NDLEA of being the most corrupt and compromised government agency in Nigeria, calling for the establishment of a new organization to curb drug addiction and trafficking.
Some time ago, while contributing to a debate on a bill to establish the National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation during a Senate plenary, Senator Kawu Sumaila, known for his fearlessness, alleged that some of his colleagues in the National Assembly were involved in drug abuse while carrying out their official duties. He claimed that many of his colleagues possessed hard drugs. The Hausa man would say, “toh fa,” indicating the situation has become one of accusations and counter-accusations, with Nigeria as the direct victim.
We may recall that the NDLEA was established by decree in 1989, tasked with eradicating illicit drug trafficking and consumption. This decree empowers the agency to enforce laws against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking, and use of hard drugs. It also authorizes the agency to investigate individuals suspected of drug-related activities. Shortly after assuming office as chairman, the late General Musa Bamaiyi went on air to allege that consumers and traffickers of hard drugs had infiltrated the agency, suggesting that the agency was rapidly becoming an engine for facilitating the drug trade in Nigeria. He accused the staff of being more experienced in the consumption and trafficking of the very drugs they were employed to combat.
Many chairmen have served after Bamaiyi, and even the military that established the agency is no longer in power, yet the agency remains plagued by suspicion. Why? According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the global leader in combating illicit drugs and international crime, and also responsible for implementing the United Nations’ lead program on terrorism, Nigeria is involved with various dangerous drugs, from marijuana, hashish, and tramadol to cocaine. The NDLEA itself admits that over 14 million Nigerians use illegal drugs. Most use locally grown cannabis, but many others use cocaine, heroin, or amphetamine-type stimulants.
To say Nigeria is in a desperate situation due to dangerous drug activities is likely an understatement. Experts combatting this menace note that factors such as poor socioeconomic status, peer pressure, family problems, and poor academic performance are commonly associated with drug abuse in Nigeria. Those affected by drug abuse are prone to violence, crime, financial issues, housing problems, homelessness, and vagrancy. Drug abuse has led to many debilitating conditions, including schizophrenia and psychosis, resulting in psychiatric admissions.
As I write this article, a seminar on cybercrimes is ongoing, organized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Watching the live broadcast on Channels TV, nearly every speaker, including His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, felt compelled to mention the menace of dangerous drugs. This indicates that drug dealings are more threatening to Nigeria’s survival than even cybercrime.
When an agency like the NDLEA is aware of this problem and publicly accuses those responsible for creating laws to prevent drug abuse, it becomes clear that the country is on a dangerous path due to these drugs. What we should be seeing are arrests and arraignments—not counter-accusations.
Records show that Nigeria’s drug prevalence rate is alarming, with a 15% prevalence rate—almost three times the global average of 5.5%. This rate is even higher among youths. As dangerous as this is, the situation becomes even more concerning when lawmakers’ names are added to the list. There was a time when a Senate member, a retired senior police officer, stood on the chamber floor to demand the dismissal of some of his colleagues seated with him. He claimed to have investigated some of them for drug-related crimes during his time in the police force. If such people are allowed to legislate, one day, they might legitimize drug dealings. May Allah put an end to their tenure in legislation, ameen.
