By Eteteonline
According to the 2018 United Nations drug use study, around 15 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 use illegal substances, according to Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), the NDLEA’s chairman and CEO. This is around one in seven individuals in that age bracket, which is almost three times the average rate of drug usage worldwide.
According to a recent investigation, Nigeria has a far higher total drug use prevalence (about 14–15 million individuals) than the global average, which is about 5%.
According to NDLEA leaders, the situation is unacceptably high, which contributes to societal unrest and crime.
The majority of people who use cannabis are consumers of Cannabis sativa, which continues to be the most widely used illegal substance. Cocaine, heroin, amphetamine-type stimulants and inhalants, and solvents like glue are among the other illegal substances that are utilized.
The plant Cannabis sativa is the source of cannabis. Due to its depressive properties, cannabis slows down the central nervous system’s activity and the messages that travel from the brain to the body.
Igbo, Weewee, Marijuana, Mary and Joan, Choko, Yoyo, Kush, Skunk, Green Leaf, Ghanja, Grass, and Indian Hemp are some of the common names for cannabis in Nigeria.
Drug misuse affects both urban and rural areas and transcends socioeconomic, geographical, and gender boundaries.
Tens of thousands of arrests and seizures have been made by the NDLEA in recent years as part of its active enforcement efforts to reduce trafficking and consumption.
The organization has raided covert drug storage facilities and detained a number of drug barons and traffickers. In January 2026, the NDLEA’s chairman stated that the agency had 77,792 drug offenders and had seized roughly 14,847 kg of various illegal narcotics during the previous five years.
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