The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has revealed plans to introduce a preventive control strategy targeted at newly admitted students in tertiary institutions, with the aim of stopping early exposure to drug abuse.
The disclosure was made by the Niger State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Shehu Nomau Gwadabawa, during a public lecture held in Minna. The lecture focused on Building Responsible Student Leadership, Combating Drug, Thuggery, Hate Speech and Campus Disunity Through Positive Value and Mentorship.
The event was organised by the Students’ Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (SW-CNG), Niger State Chapter, at the College of Education, Minna.
Commander Gwadabawa, who was represented at the event by the Area Commander of the NDLEA Minna Municipal Special Operations Base, Amisu Mohammed, expressed concern over the growing involvement of university students in drug use. He noted that the proposed strategy would play a key role in discouraging drug abuse before it becomes entrenched among new students.
He explained that the NDLEA frequently conducts raids around the Federal University of Technology Minna campus, stressing the level of student involvement discovered during such operations.
According to him, “if Ten (10) persons were arrested, Eight of them would be University student.”
The commander also highlighted the importance of collaboration between the agency and student leadership. He said the NDLEA previously engaged the Student Union Government to adjust its operational approach while encouraging students to take ownership of anti-drug sensitisation within the campus.
“At a time, we have to engaged the student union government, we sat with the leadership and told them we are going to scale down our raid outside the University campuses, but, than, on their own part too, the partnership is that, they should intensify war against drug abuse sensitization within the campuses and that has yielded result within the University community.”
He further revealed that student involvement had, at one point, gone beyond drug use to drug dealing, prompting decisive action from the agency.
“If we sat and be watching, remember, they are student, and the student, from usage metermaforse into drug dealing is a very serious issue, so we have to set a precedent in 2025, by prosecuting one of the University student, of course, that deterred a lot of the students, so, we have less issues of drug dealings within the University campuses now,” he said.
On the most commonly abused substances, the commander disclosed that cannabis remains the dominant drug among students, particularly in a more potent form.
“Among students, what top the chat of drug usage in terms of prevalence is Cannabis Sativa, though, what it’s most common among students is re-define Cannabis Sativa which we call (lite kalos), known as loud, adding that whenever we raid campuses, what we found is ‘Loud’, is a re-define Cannabis Sativa, but, not ordinary Cannabis Sativa.”
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