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

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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

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Troops neutralise militia during clearance patrol in Plateau community

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Troops neutralise militia during clearance patrol in Plateau community

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Sector 5, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), have neutralised a suspected militia member during a clearance operation in Hokk community, Mushere West District of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation, which took place on July 3 at about 11:45 a.m., was part of a long-range patrol covering Tulus and Hokk communities along the Plateau–Nasarawa border.

The sources said that the troops came under attack from armed militias in Hokk but successfully repelled the assailants, killing one while others fled the scene.




As of the time of filing this report, troops have continued to dominate the general area with aggressive patrols to prevent further militia activity.

Troops neutralise militia during clearance patrol in Plateau community

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Security forces repel attack, reclaim villages in Bokkos LGA, Plateau

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Security forces repel attack, reclaim villages in Bokkos LGA, Plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

A joint security operation has reclaimed several deserted villages in the Horop District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, following persistent attacks and occupation by suspected Fulani militias.

Zagazola Makama was reliably informed that the clearance operation was launched after residents of Hokk and neighboring villages fled their homes, reporting that the attackers had taken over their communities and erected temporary shelters.

In response, a combined troops of the Nigerian Army, team of Special Intervention Squad (SIS) and Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel were deployed to the area to restore order and secure the villages.

The troops, encountered strong resistance from the armed attackers. A fierce gun battle ensued, but the attackers were eventually overpowered and forced to retreat into nearby bushes.

During the operation, several makeshift huts erected by the militias were destroyed, and two motorcycles abandoned by the fleeing assailants were recovered.

Authorities say patrols and security presence in the area have been intensified to prevent further incursions and allow displaced villagers to safely return to their homes.

Security forces repel attack, reclaim villages in Bokkos LGA, Plateau

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Mentally unstable man kills 6-year-old boy in Niger

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Mentally unstable man kills 6-year-old boy in Niger

By: Zagazola Makama

A 30-year-old man, identified as Basiru Umaru, has allegedly killed a six-year-old boy, Aliyu Muhammed, in Mariga Town, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.

The tragic incident occurred on June 28 at about 9:00 p.m., when the suspect, said to be mentally unstable, reportedly lured the child to a riverside in the area.

According to community sources, the suspect tied the boy’s hands and legs before throwing him into the river, where he drowned.

The parents of the deceased, who had declared him missing, were later led to the riverbank by the suspect himself. The child’s lifeless body was recovered shortly after.

Police personnel were deployed to the scene. The corpse was taken to a medical facility for autopsy, while concerned community members mobilised to ensure the suspect was restrained and isolated from the public.

Medical and mental health professionals are expected to conduct psychiatric evaluation on the suspect to determine his state of mind at the time of the incident.
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