The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, on Wednesday, described Lagos and Oyo States as headquarters of drug abuse in Nigeria.
Marwa, who stated this at a public lecture organised by United Action for Change (UAC), in Lagos State, added that at least 14.3 million people in Nigeria are into drug abuse.
He noted that the South-West has the highest number of drug abusers in the country.
The NDLEA chief revealed that Nigeria was ranked first on the use of Cannabis Sativa.
Marwa said: “Nigeria’s drug statistics should give every one of us a sleepless night.
“Not less than 14.3 million Nigerians abuse drugs — Nigerians between the ages of 16 and 64 years. Among them, one in four drug users is female.
“Expectedly, cannabis is the most abused substance by Nigerians. What’s alarming, however, is that a staggering 10.6 million Nigerians abuse the use of cannabis.
“That number makes our country number one in the use of cannabis. Let’s ponder this for a moment; 10.6 million is more than the estimated population of Botswana and Lesotho combined.
“Most of the abusers first started at the age of 19, and the highest level of usage is concentrated in youth between 25 and 29.
“The highest abuse of drugs is reported in the Southern part of Nigeria, with the South-West recording the highest prevalence with over four million Nigerians engaging in the use of various drugs.
“In this regard, the Lagos-Oyo axis is the epicentre of drug abuse in Nigeria.”
