Vanguard Mental Health Summit: Fight against drugs through trust, collaboration – NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has called for stronger trust and collaboration among stakeholders in the fight against drug abuse and its link to mental health challenges in Nigeria.

Speaking at Vanguard’s 3rd Mental Health Summit, held on Friday at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, NDLEA spokesperson Dr. Femi Babafemi, who represented the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd.), said the agency has made notable progress in drug control but emphasized the need to adopt more pragmatic and partnership-driven strategies.

“NDLEA has made strides in drug control. We must therefore rethink the model and seek pragmatic approaches to address this challenge of drug abuse,” Marwa said.

The summit, themed “Taming the Tide of Suicide in Nigeria” and sub-themed “Substance and Silence: Unmasking the Dual Crisis of Addiction and Suicide”, brought together mental health experts, advocates, and stakeholders to raise awareness about the growing connection between substance abuse and suicide.

Recent statistics show that suicide is now the second leading cause of death among Nigerian youth aged 15 to 29, while over 450,000 Nigerians require mental health and psychosocial support annually due to suicide-related trauma.

Marwa stressed that trust and community engagement are key to sustaining progress in drug control and prevention.

“The fight against drugs is through rebuilding trust,” he noted.

He added that the NDLEA has undergone significant transformation to strengthen its capacity in both drug control and public health interventions, but insisted that success depends on collective effort.

“NDLEA cannot operate alone; we rely on partnerships to tackle mental health issues,” Marwa stated.

“As the next phase of our reform, we shall, in the months ahead, scale up our community policing efforts through the deployment of NDLEA Community Liaison Officers in every local government area. These officers will work closely with local structures and stakeholders.

“One of our flagship community initiatives is the Alternative Development Programme, targeting cannabis-growing communities across the country. This programme is set to be piloted soon in Ondo State.

“The Alternative Development Programme demands ethical responsibility and commitment to developing transformative policies and humanitarian responses that mitigate drug-related problems and end the complexities and burdens of the war on drugs in Nigeria and globally.

He further called for a Nigeria where the NDLEA is seen not as a force to fear, but as a trusted partner within communities.

“The Nigeria in which NDLEA is not feared but trusted, an embedded partner in every community. We need one another — the NDLEA, Ministry of Health, media, private sector — each of us collectively. As we take strides forward, we must ensure our gatherings not only become annual conversations; we must move forward with resolute actions,” he said.

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