Drug abuse: A national tragedy, major cause of insecurity — Marwa

Mohammed Buba Marwa, Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has described drug abuse as a national tragedy and major cause of insecurity in the country.

Marwa, who spoke at a stakeholders meeting held on Friday in Lokoja, lamented that drug abuse remained the major cause of insecurity in the country.

He noted that bandits, kidnappers and many other persons who indulged in nefarious and criminal activities were usually on drugs, saying that it had become a national calamity.

Marwa, therefore, enjoined Nigerians, irrespective of creed and ethnic leanings, to join hands and tackle the menace holistically.

“The time for all hands to be on deck and work collectively in stemming the negative trend of drug abuse and reduce to the barest minimum its incidences in the country is now,” he added.

The NDLEA chief stressed that he was working majorly to fight accessibility to drugs through seizures and destruction of cannabis sativa farms and plantations across the country.

Marwa said that drug demand and consumption levels in the country were alarming, adding that all stakeholders had critical roles to play in bringing down the rate, starting from the family unit.

He urged parents to be alert in the type of friends their children and wards keep, saying that they should also be observant and take note of changes in the behaviour of their children and ward

He charged religious leaders to use their platforms to preach against the dangers of drug intake and abuse, adding that for the country to come out of the present insecurity, intake and abuse of drugs must be fought to a standstill.

Mr Alfred Adewumi, the State Commander of NDLEA, earlier in his welcome remarks, commended Marwa for repositioning the agency for better performance.

Adewumi said that Marwa’s repositioning NDLEA towards fighting the drug syndrome and reducing it to the barest minimum was a welcome development.

It was reported that the stakeholders at the meeting included Civil Society Organisations, representatives of the Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWD), NCWS, NURTW among others, who promised to work with the NDLEA in it’s resolve to fight the menace.