NDLEA sounds alarm on rising drug abuse among university students in Niger

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Niger State Command, has expressed concern over the increasing involvement of university students in drug and substance abuse in the state.

The Niger State Commander of NDLEA, Shehu Nomau Gwadabawa, stated this during a public lecture at the College of Education, Minna. The lecture, themed “Building Responsible Student Leadership: Combating Drug Abuse, Thuggery, Hate Speech and Campus Disunity Through Positive Values and Mentorship,” was organised by the Students’ Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (SW-CNG).

Gwadabawa, who was represented by the Area Commander, NDLEA Minna Municipal Special Operations Base, Amisu Mohammed, said the agency’s frequent raids on Federal University of Technology (FUT) campuses have led to numerous arrests, with about 80 per cent of those detained being university students.

“NDLEA constantly raids student campuses of the Federal University of Technology, FUT, Minna, and if we arrest 10 persons, eight of them are usually university students,” he said.

Against this backdrop, the agency partnered with student unions in the state to intensify anti-drug sensitisation on campuses and also prosecuted a 200-level student involved in drug dealing to set a precedent.

“At a point, we had to engage the Student Union Government leadership, where we told them we were going to scale down our raids outside university campuses, but they should, on their own part, intensify the war against drug abuse sensitisation within their campuses,” he said.

“This approach has yielded positive results, with fewer incidents of drug dealing reported within university communities.”

The commander further emphasised that cannabis sativa, commonly known as “loud” or “lite kalos,” is the most prevalent drug among students on campus.

To combat the trend, he disclosed that the NDLEA is proposing a primary control strategy targeting fresh students to prevent initiation into drug use.

“The NDLEA aims to continue this effort, urging students to take responsibility for their actions and prioritise their well-being.”

NDLEA sounds alarm on rising drug abuse among university students in Niger