Crime
UNODC and NDLEA partner to sensitize the Nigerian Governors Wives on Drug Use, Treatment, Prevention and Care

UNODC and NDLEA partner to sensitize the Nigerian Governors Wives on Drug Use, Treatment, Prevention and Care
By: Our Reporter
In 2019, with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, Nigeria officially launched its first ever comprehensive national survey on drug use and health – Drug Use in Nigeria 2018.
The survey revealed that Nigeria has over 14.3 million people who use drugs and 1 in 4 of these populations is a woman or girl. Even more alarming is the data that indicates that only 1 in 20 people in treatment for using drugs, is a woman.
Whilst there is a generally acknowledged dearth of drug treatment services in Nigeria, the gap is even more disproportionate for female drug users who for a myriad reason are unable to access treatment as easily as their male counterparts. This is further buttressed by the findings of the World Drug Report 2022.
It is therefore no surprise that members of the Nigerian Governors Wives Forum are at the forefront of advocating for improved access to drug prevention and treatment services in Nigeria.
After all, it was on the initiative of the First Lady of Nigeria, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, that the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA) was first established in 2018 – recommended a series of targeted interventions for elimination of drug abuse in Nigeria.
The active advocacy of the First Lady of Kebbi State Nigeria, Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, led to the establishment of a community-based drug treatment center as well as introduction of UNPLUGGED – a school-based drug prevention programme in State-owned Secondary Schools in Kebbi.
As a great step forward, the Nigeria Governors Wives Forum led by the First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi adopted drug abuse as a flagship project “to address the alarming problem of drug abuse in our communities.”
Encouraged by the active advocacy by the Governors Wives Forum, NDLEA and the UNODC within the context of the EU-funded Project “Response to Drugs and Related Organised Crime in Nigeria” partnered to sensitize the Forum on critical issues related to drug use, prevention, treatment and care.
The 2-day sensitisation event, organized in conjunction with World Drug Day, held on 28 and 29 June 2022, had in attendance, the wife of the Vice President of Nigeria, H.E Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo as Special Guest of Honour as well as the First Ladies of Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Ogun, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe States, and the representatives of all other States.
Other participants included, the senior management of the NDLEA led by the Chairman/Chief Executive Brig Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), the UNODC Country Office Team led by the Country Representative Dr Oliver Stolpe, and representative of the European Union Delegation (EUD) to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Eleni Zerzelidou.
Also Read: Buhari tasks Nigerians abroad on responsible social media…
Speaking during the event, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa urged the Forum to spearhead the establishment of State Drug Control Committees (SDCCs) in their respective States to facilitate the implementation of drug control responses at all levels of government and society.
H.E Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Wife of the Vice President of Nigeria, remarked that the sensitization exercise will enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in implementing appropriate drug control interventions in health and humanitarian crises, which is also the theme for this year’s World Drug Day.
Also Read: Buhari tasks Nigerians abroad on responsible social media…
She emphasized that we “all need to contribute our quota to the national drug control efforts.”
The UNODC Country Representative, Oliver Stolpe urged the Governors Wives not to lose sight of the public health crisis caused by drug use, noting that what is being invested right now is nowhere near sufficient to cater for the needs of millions of persons living with a drug use dependency.
He therefore solicited their support for the implementation of UNPLUGGED across the 27,000 public and private secondary schools in the country as well as providing access to quality drug treatment to the millions of persons, in particular women and girls, living with a drug use disorder by: (i) creating drug treatment facilities in all states, (ii) establishing drop-in centers across all LGAs, and (iii) equipping primary health care providers with basic drug treatment, counselling and referral skills.
The EUD representative, Ms. Zerzelidou, noted that the Governors Wives, with their influence, can pave the way for more initiatives on drug demand reduction.
The two-day proceeding exposed Governors Wives to core sensitization modules on drug prevention, treatment and care (DPTC), along with several drug prevention and treatment initiatives being implemented under the “Response to Drugs and Related Organized Crime in Nigeria”, including sport based prevention programme – Line up Live Up (LULU), Strengthening the Family Programme(SFP), and UNPLUGGED, the latter being implemented in all 104 unity secondary schools run by the Federal Government, as well as in Bayelsa and Kebbi states.
The UNPLUGGED programme is also being implemented in selected schools in Oyo, Rivers and Kano States in partnership with the MTN Foundation through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intervention – the Anti Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP).
At the end of the event, the Forum adopted a communique outlining the actions the First Ladies will take to strengthen drug prevention, treatment and care in their respective states.
UNODC and NDLEA partner to sensitize the Nigerian Governors Wives on Drug Use, Treatment, Prevention and Care
Crime
Armed Bandits Kill One in Attack on Commercial Vehicle in Sokoto

Armed Bandits Kill One in Attack on Commercial Vehicle in Sokoto
By: Zagazola Makama
On April 3, 2025, at approximately 1130 hours, a group of armed bandits riding motorcycles, opened fire on a commercial vehicle traveling from Kebbi to Sokoto.
The attack resulted in the death of one Dan Gande Usman, who was shot in the head. The victim succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital.
In response to the attack, troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were deployed to the area to ensure sanity.
Armed Bandits Kill One in Attack on Commercial Vehicle in Sokoto
Crime
Bandits Attack Rijiya Village in Zamfara, Kill Eight, Set School Ablaze

Bandits Attack Rijiya Village in Zamfara, Kill Eight, Set School Ablaze
By: Zagazola Makama
A deadly bandit attack on Rijiya Village in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State has left eight people dead and a primary school set on fire.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that at approximately 1600 hours, on April 3, a group of armed bandits, heavily armed with AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons, invaded the village.
The assailants opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the deaths of two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CPG) and six civilians.
In addition to the loss of lives, the bandits set fire to a primary school that was being occupied by the CPG members.
Bandits Attack Rijiya Village in Zamfara, Kill Eight, Set School Ablaze
Crime
Police Inspector Killed in Terrorist Attack at Gwoza, Borno

Police Inspector Killed in Terrorist Attack at Gwoza, Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
A police inspector was killed during an ambush by suspected Boko Haram insurgents at the Police Mobile Force Training College (PMFTC) Camp Limankara, Gwoza.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at approximately 0600 hours on April 3, 2025, while a team of officers, including those from Mopol Training School Gwoza and various Mobile Police Force units, were on foot patrol.
Inspector Andrawus Musa, attached to 6PMF Maiduguri, was fatally injured during the attack. His service rifle, an AK-47, was taken by the assailants.
The victim was immediately evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The body has been deposited at the hospital for autopsy.
Police Inspector Killed in Terrorist Attack at Gwoza, Borno
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