The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Niger State Command, has expressed concern over the increasing involvement of university students in drug and substance abuse in the state.
This was stated by the Commander of the NDLEA in Niger State, Shehu Nomau Gwadabawa, during a public lecture at the Minna College of Education. The conference, whose theme was “Building Responsible Student Leadership: Combating Drug Abuse, Bullying, Hate Speech, and Disunity on Campus through Positive Values and Mentoring,” was organized by the student wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (SW-CNG).
Gwadabawa, who was represented by NDLEA Minna Municipal Special Operations Base Area Commander Amisu Mohammed, said the agency’s frequent raids on the Federal University of Technology (FUT) campuses have led to numerous arrests, with around 80 per cent of those detained being university students.
“NDLEA conducts constant raids on the student campuses of Federal University of Technology, FUT, Minna, and if we arrest 10 people, eight of them are usually university students,” he said.
In this context, the agency partnered with student unions in the state to intensify anti-drug awareness on campuses and also prosecuted a 200-level student involved in drug trafficking to set a precedent.
“At one point, we had to have a dialogue with the leaders of the Student Union Government, where we told them that we were going to reduce our raids outside university campuses, but that they, for their part, should intensify the war against drug abuse awareness within their campuses,” he said.
“This approach has yielded positive results, with fewer incidents of drug trafficking reported within university communities.”
The commander further emphasized that cannabis sativa, commonly known as “noisy” or “lite kalos,” is the most prevalent drug among students on campus.
To combat this trend, he revealed that the NDLEA is proposing a primary control strategy targeting new students to prevent initiation into drug use.
“NDLEA aims to continue this effort, urging students to take responsibility for their actions and prioritize their well-being.”