Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd.), yesterday raised the alarm that about 15 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 are involved in the intake of illicit drugs.
While expressing concern that the staggering statistic is nearly three times the global average, Marwa, who described the figure as unacceptable, revealed that one in every seven Nigerians in the age bracket consumes drugs.
Marwa, who made the disclosure yesterday, during a courtesy visit with his entourage to Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa at the Governor’s office, Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, lamented that the state is the highest producer of cannabis in Nigeria, due to what he described as favourable climate and soil conditions.
With the NDLEA boss presenting data on drug use prevalence, enforcement outcomes and cannabis production across the country, with particular emphasis on Ondo State, Marwa, who cited the 2018 United Nations (UN) drug use survey, maintained that drug-use prevalence in Ondo State stands at 17 percent, translating to roughly 400,000 users.
Marwa, who compared the Ondo data with 33 percent in Lagos State with two million users and 24 percent in Oyo State, stressed that “The drug use has had devastating consequences on our families and our communities. It has also promoted criminality, as we know.
“Boko Haram, the terrorists, the kidnappers. In fact, the kidnappers now, through our intelligence sources, have been shown to live among the cannabis-cultivating communities in the deep forests. And that makes sense to them. Why not establish a base where the drugs are readily available?
“Last year, 2025, the NDLEA in Ondo State Command made 336 arrests. They seized 22,316 kilograms of illicit substances. They convicted 62 and seized and destroyed 207,000 kilograms worth of cannabis in the plantations and farms. We have a counselling and rehab centre here. We treated 243.
“But of the 15,000 tonnes of illicit substances that NDLEA seized in the last five years, over 75 per cent is cannabis. That’s our greatest challenge in the consumption of drugs in Nigeria. That was 70 to 75 per cent of those who use drugs actually use cannabis”, Marwa stated.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA Chairman disclosed that the agency had commissioned the Nigerian Academy of Science to conduct a scientific study on cannabis-extracted oil for medicinal purposes, stressing that any decision on controlled cultivation and export would be strictly evidence-based.
He further stressed that NDLEA had also established an Alternative Development Unit at its headquarters to complement law enforcement by engaging cannabis-growing communities to switch from illicit cultivation to legal crops. While stating that the state has been selected for a pilot study of the programme, following a year of engagement with cannabis-producing communities.
Marwa also highlighted the Ondo State Government’s backing, including the creation of a State Drug Control Committee, with plans to extend it to local government areas, as well as provision of financial and operational support for the command.
On his part, Aiyedatiwa, who pledged the full support of his administration to the NDLEA following the launch of the agency’s Alternative Development Programme in the state, commended Marwa for personally leading the programme rather than delegating it, describing the move as a demonstration of commitment to curbing illicit drug cultivation, production, trafficking, and consumption.
He expressed interest in the medicinal use of cannabis oil, urging the NDLEA to expedite ongoing studies and share the findings with the state.
