Buba Marwa Rallies Parents, Traditional, Religious Leaders against Drug Abuse, Cultism, Banditry

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba 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 made the call yesterday while delivering the keynote address at a seminar themed: ‘Dangers of drug abuse, cultism and banditry among youths,’ organised by the Ijebu-Ode Council of Olorituns in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

He noted that collective responsibility must be embraced by all stakeholders to curb the menace of the interlinked social vices of illicit drugs, cultism, and banditry.
Marwa said the triple threat of cult-related violence, rampant abuse of drugs and illicit substances, and the challenge of banditry across various regions is a reality that must be dealt with decisively.

“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,” he explained.

According to the NDLEA boss, “It is projected that the number of people using drugs will increase by 40 per cent in Africa. When they say Africa, I want us to think of Nigeria, because Nigeria has one of the highest drug use prevalence rates in the world.”
He, however, said that despite the projection by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), all hope is not lost. “As a nation and as communities, we still possess the power to reverse this trend”, he assured
“The first step is collective responsibility. Parents, religious institutions, traditional rulers, educational authorities, and community leaders must rise with one voice against these vices. The family unit must be strengthened as the first point of moral instruction, while schools should be safe spaces that promote discipline, mentorship, and awareness.

“We must also invest in youth development by creating opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, and sports. Idle hands, as we know, are the devil’s workshop. When our young people find purpose and meaning, they are less likely to seek false validation from cults or drugs”, Marwa explained.
Dwelling on how the NDLEA is 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.

“Within the period, we have seized more than 11.2 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and destroyed 1,572 hectares of cannabis farms, mostly in Southwest States, where some people are cultivating 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 in addition to thousands of others who have benefitted from the psychosocial support services provided on our toll free helpline: 080010203040.”