Rate of drug abuse higher in S/West, NDLEA pledges clampdown
By Bisola Adeyemo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said their is higher rate of drug abuse use in South-West region than any other region in Nigeria, vow to continue its crackdown on all sources of illicit substances in the country.
The Chairman, Buba Marwa, disclosed this on Friday during the inauguration of a Behavioural Action Care Foundation Centre in Ogbomoso.
“We will deny their exportation, we will seize them when we find them and will destroy them.”
Marwa noted that 14.4 percent of Nigerians between the ages of 16 to 64 use drugs.
The chairman said the prevalence in Oyo State is 23 percent, while Kano State has a prevalence of 16 percent.
“The South-West has the worst prevalence. The prevalence is 22.4 per cent”, (NAN)quoted him as saying.
In other Southern regions, the prevalence in South-South is 16.6 percent and South-East 14.8 percent.
North-East has a prevalence of 18.6 percent, North-West 12 percent and North-Central 10 percent.
Marwa appealed to parents, guardians and other stakeholders to always demand a drug-free certificate as a requisite for marriage and engagements/programmes.