Developments in counter-narcotics war, By Emmanuel Onwubiko

Worse, what does the term ‘treatment’ mean in the context of the war on drugs? It means the naked use of force by doctors. Sally Satel — Yale University psychiatrist, ‘drug addiction treatment expert, and the star ‘medical’ witness for the drug warriors — proudly proclaims: Force is the best medicine.

– Thomas Stephen Szasz

If a person ingests a drug prohibited by legislators and claims that it makes him feel better, that proves he is an addict; if he ingests a drug prescribed by a psychiatrist and claims that it makes him feel better, that proves that mental illness is a biomedical disease

– Thomas Szasz

Good and perceptive observers of the counter-narcotics war in Nigeria would have noticed that some innovative responses to the war on drugs took place in the last two weeks just as a twenty five year old jinx was broken by the General Mohammed Buba Marwa-led National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with the establishment of additional two laboratories for testing exhibits seized from arrested suspected drugs traffickers.

It was learnt from the NDLEA that after over 25 years of conducting forensic analysis in a single laboratory facility in Lagos, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has established two new laboratories and upgraded the existing one to enhance accessibility, expedite timely analysis, and prosecute cases efficiently following a surge in drug seizures over the past months.

As we were reliably informed, the two additional laboratories built in Abuja and Enugu are strategically located and equipped with state- of -the -art facilities designed to meet the highest standards of quality and safety protocols, as well as ensuring a safe working environment.

Femi Babafemi, the forward looking and highly efficient Director of media of the NDLEA narrated the story that the top management was so excited about the development, just as the hard working Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) said “the newly constructed laboratories will enable us to enhance our forensic analysis capabilities, increase our capacity to process cases efficiently and strengthen our fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.”

He noted that while the two new facilities were set to commence operations, the existing one in Lagos has undergone a comprehensive renovation and refurbishment, transforming it into a state-of-the-art facility.

The fulfilled and vivacious chief executive of NDLEA General Mohammed Buba Marwa stated further: “This project was made possible through the sponsorship of the US International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)”, he stated.

It also emerged that besides equipping the laboratories with additional cutting-edge analytical instruments, we found out from dependably sources that the counter-narcotics Agency in collaboration with the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN), had successfully conducted the training and certification of 20 NDLEA forensic analysts, meant to empower them to sign off on drug analysis reports, thereby enhancing the Agency’s forensic capabilities. This is a very encouraging and bold step on the part of the NDLEA.

This, the management stated, is in addition to the implementation of robust quality control measures, following the Agency’s successful participation in three rounds of the UNODC International Collaborative Exercise (ICE) programme, which is an important part of International Quality Assurance Programme (IQAP) to ensure quality management systems, accuracy and reliability of results.

While commending the officers, men and women of the Agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring for working with him to break the over 25 years jinx, Marwa said the milestone achieved in the area of forensic analysis is borne out of his commitment to equipping the laboratories with state-of- the- art instruments and developing the expertise of the Agency’s personnel to ensure accurate and reliable forensic analysis, research methodologies and tackling the challenges posed by emerging New Psychoactive Substances (NPS).
“The newly constructed drug laboratories and renovated facilities mark a significant milestone in the Agency’s history, and we are delighted about this achievement”, Marwa added. It is heartwarming that the current administration is indeed empowering the NDLEA to become the very best agency of its kind in Africa and the agency can comfortably compete with the very best globally.

The second big development was the decision of the wives of the 36 governors of the Federation to key in actively into the war on hard drugs even as the information emerged from a recent retreat organised for the wives of the Chief executives of states in Nigeria.

The wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the main keynote paper in which she charged state governments to embrace and entrench community-based interventions that will curb the impact of the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking at the grassroots in line with the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP).

As aforementioned, Mrs. Tinubu represented by the wife of the Deputy Senate President, devoted her keynote address to the gathering, to commend the NDLEA, and NGSF for the initiative aimed at advancing drug control efforts to the grassroots across the country. She specifically commended Marwa and his team “for courageously confronting the fight against illicit drug abuse and trafficking in the country.”

According to her, “This training cannot be coming at any better time than now when statistics and daily life experiences are revealing that drugs have infiltrated every nook and cranny of our communities. As a nation, we are confronted with a growing crisis, one that affects the very core of our society, the health, safety, and future of our children.
“The rising tide of drug and substance abuse amongst adolescents is a challenge that we must no longer ignore or tackle in isolation. It requires concerted efforts, community-driven response, one that integrates enforcement, education, family support, and sustained intervention. Our presence at this training testifies to the collective resolve we display in ensuring that we strengthen, secure, and safeguard families and communities.
“Today’s training will ensure that we are adequately armed with the right knowledge, tools, skills, and competencies necessary to effectively tackle this complex issue. It is my hope that this capacity-building workshop, through honest discussions and sharing of best practices, will provide valuable insights into evidence-based strategies for prevention, early intervention, and holistic treatment approaches, especially targeting marginalized and vulnerable communities.
“I urge us to utilize the knowledge gathered at this training to develop viable solutions while collaborating with relevant stakeholders, especially the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, other law enforcement agencies, MDAs, civil society organizations, healthcare providers, educators, and community leaders.

“Let us approach the formidable task ahead with humility, doggedness, and commitment to enable us to build communities where our children are protected from harm and empowered to thrive. Together, we can change the narrative, restore dignity to our communities, and ensure a healthier, safer future for all Nigerians.”

Similarly, the Chairman, chief executive of NDLEA General Mohammed Buba Marwa noted that the drug scourge obstructs progress and dims prospects in an already beleaguered world.

Hear him: “Regrettably, Nigeria is not immune to this scourge, which steadily infiltrates every stratum of our society. Statistics, academic research, and lived experiences alike reveal a grim reality about illicit drug use and consequences in the country. The magnitude and impact of the drug crisis render the attainment of our national aspiration—improving the health and security of all who dwell within our borders, as enshrined in the National Drug Control Master Plan 2021–2025—a daunting yet inevitable task for any government and people worthy of the name.”
He said it is imperative for all stakeholders at the workshop to adopt urgent, holistic, and inclusive strategies to dismantle the drug menace.

According to him, “Over the past four years, the NDLEA has pursued this mission with renewed and unwavering zeal, ensuring that Nigeria’s hard-won global and regional drug control successes are not merely preserved but expanded.
“Permit me to inform this distinguished gathering that over the four years, the NDLEA has deployed substantial resources towards a comprehensive assault on the drug problem, yielding significant outcomes. Under the drug supply reduction mandate—encompassing drug seizures, arrests, prosecutions, and convictions—we recorded the arrest of 62,595 drug suspects (Including 68 drug barons), the seizure of 10,317,137.55 kilograms of assorted drugs, and secured the conviction of 11,628 offenders. Furthermore, 1,330.56553 hectares of cannabis farms were identified and destroyed.

“To ensure a balanced approach in accordance with international best practices, equal emphasis has been placed on drug demand reduction. Between January 2021 and March 2025, a total of 24,375 drug users received counselling and treatment at NDLEA facilities, primarily through brief interventions. Concurrently, 10,501 drug sensitisation programmes were conducted nationwide under the auspices of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy campaign, reaching diverse target groups within communities. In parallel, a remarkable 3, 843, 789 participants were mobilized to partake in these enlightenment initiatives undertaken across the nation.”

Marwa charged the stakeholders not surrender to despair over the menace of drug abuse. “As patriots and vanguards of our nation’s well-being, it falls on us to strengthen our resolve, to move with deliberate speed towards practical and lasting resolutions that will, God willing, break the vicious cycle of drug abuse. This capacity building event represents a stride, small though it may seem, in the proper direction.

“Since it is at the community level that the burden of the drug menace is most acutely felt, it is vital that stakeholders, including all of us gathered here today, address the different dimensions of the problem from a community-centred perspective. This gathering must strive for common ground, developing indigenous and pragmatic solutions that go beyond mere statistics and harrowing headlines, addressing instead the real and harrowing human toll of drug abuse.”

He expressed confidence that the training will strengthen capacities, harness community resources, and unlock the potential needed to formulate and implement evidence-based interventions that will salvage and rejuvenate every segment of beleaguered communities.

There was also another milestone that occurred in these past few weeks with the meeting of governors of the North West States who met recently and one of their focal points was the debilitating effects of wanton abuses of hard drugs by hundreds of thousands of youngsters in their states just as they linked the high rate of drug abuses to the rising crime rate and acts of terrorism affecting their region.

These governors from North West states as aforementioned, have met over issues affecting the region, including insecurity, excessive use of drugs, among others.

Chairman of the Northwest Governors’ Forum and Governor of Katsina State, Dr. Umar Dikko Radda, told journalists after the meeting early Saturday morning, that the states had agreed to work together in tackling all the issues raised.

“We just concluded our meeting and the deliberation was very fruitful. We had a long discussion on issues bothering challenges affecting our region and we have had presentations from Northwest Development Commission, as well as the Federal Medical University Funtua for the region.

“We also discussed on issues of drug abuse and how to prevent excessive use of drugs in the region and other collaborations. We have all agreed to work together on this issues raised, in order to bring the necessary development that is needed in the region,” he said.

We in the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA will like to appeal to the wives of the governors and the governors to take up the fight on hard drugs just as they are engaging with the security agencies to battle the heightened insecurity in their states because there is a necessary nexus between abusing hard drugs and committing sophisticated crimes and terrorists acts against government facilities and most importantly the good people of their states.

The governors should create commissions to fight hard drugs in the states and appoint competent experts to head those commissions as commissioners just as these states should constantly collaborate with the NDLEA in their states to push forward the fight on hard drugs to the front burner.

With all good hands on deck, Nigeria will inevitably win the war on hard drugs and families would be happy to have drug-free homes therefore experiencing peace, tranquility and purposeful progress.

Emmanuel Onwubiko is the founder of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA and was NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF NIGERIA.