Hard drugs, substance abuse fuelling terrorism, kidnapping – Police, NDLEA warn

The Ogun State Police Command, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and civil society partners have identified substance abuse among youths as the central driver of rising terrorism, kidnapping, cultism, and violent crime across Nigeria.

The security officials and community leaders spoke on Saturday in Abeokuta during a seminar organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State, themed “Substance Abuse and National Insecurity: Building Responsible Youth Through Entrepreneurship.”

Delivering his address, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, revealed that law enforcement investigations consistently identify narcotics as the primary enabler of major violent offences in the state and nation.

Babaseyi noted that while Nigeria’s massive youth population remains a vital national asset, neglecting their development leaves them vulnerable to criminal recruitment and drug addiction.

“National insecurity does not begin with terrorism or kidnapping; it often begins with small choices made by individuals, choices that gradually destroy self-control, moral judgment, and respect for the law,” Babaseyi said.

He explained that violent crimes such as armed robbery, cult clashes, rape, and cybercrime are largely committed by individuals under the influence of hard drugs, adding that criminal syndicates deliberately exploit addicted youths to enforce compliance.

According to him, the Command, under Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni, is prioritising intelligence-led community policing, school outreach, and inter-agency collaboration to tackle crime at its root.

Aligning with the police position, Ogun NDLEA Spokesperson, ASN Haris Musa, stated that violent crimes and substance abuse work hand in hand, noting that rational human beings rarely commit murder, terrorism, or kidnapping unless driven by chemical influence or the urge to fund addiction.

Musa who was represented by his assistant, ASN Yusuf Orisadare, expressed deep concern over the proliferation of illicit substances including cannabis, methamphetamine (ice), tramadol, rohypnol, and dangerous chemical concoctions like “skuchies” and “colos” as well as unconventional abuses such as inhaling fermented chemical residues.

“If drug abuse can be tackled effectively, the issues of robbery, cultism, kidnapping, terrorism, murder, and banditry will be drastically regulated,” Yusuf said, disclosing that the agency has recently secured numerous convictions, including a 78-year-old man sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Also speaking, the President of the Asiwaju Dapo Wahab Foundation, Dapo Wahab emphasised that hopelessness remains the greatest threat facing Nigerian youths, driving many toward despair, cybercrime, and substance dependence.

Wahab advocated for a dual approach combining kinetic law enforcement operations with community-based preventive strategies, asserting that empowering youths through practical entrepreneurship provides a sustainable path out of crime.

“If we refuse to engage and empower our youths legitimately, armed robbers, drug dealers, and kidnappers will come around and empower them. Replacing hopelessness with productivity and purpose is how we secure our communities,” he stated.

On her part, Mrs Bola Solate, the founder of M19 Event Consort, emphasised that entrepreneurship serves as a critical defence against youth restiveness and social vices, pointing out that unemployment, poverty, and hopelessness often push young people toward destructive behaviours.

Solate urged government institutions and financial bodies to ease access to startup capital, encouraging students to combine academic pursuits with practical skillsacquisition.

“An idle hand may become a tool for crime, but a skilled hand becomes a tool for national development,” she asserted.

In his remarks, the Center Director, Mr Adekunle Durosinmi, warned youths that substance abuse remains a direct threat to national stability, driving young people into criminality and fracturing communities, charging parents and educators to take proactive responsibility through early monitoring and moral guidance.

He urged all undergraduate students to reject drug abuse, remain focused on their studies, embrace innovation and entrepreneurship to prepare themselves for a productive and responsible future.