Nigeria risks losing youth generation to drug abuse, mental health crisis

Nigeria is grappling with an alarming drug crisis, with a United Nations report revealing that 14.4 per cent of its population aged 15 to 64 (nearly triple the global average) abuse drugs.

Startlingly, one in five drug users suffers from disorders requiring urgent treatment. Also, psychiatric studies show that 82.5 per cent of boys in correctional facilities have mental health challenges.

As drug trafficking fuels violent extremism and economic collapse, the country risks deeper instability, crime, and a lost generation of youths without swift intervention.

A study conducted at a Borstal Institution in North-Central Nigeria found that 82.5 per cent of adolescent male residents had psychiatric disorders. The most prevalent conditions were disruptive behaviour disorders (40.8 per cent), followed by substance use disorders (15.8 per cent), anxiety disorders (14.2 per cent), psychosis (6.7 per cent), and mood disorders (five per cent).

A professor of psychiatry and clinical psychology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Olurotimi Coker, raised an alarm over the growing mental health crisis among boys in Nigeria.

Citing statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which revealed that 14 per cent of adolescents worldwide experience mental health issues, with suicide ranking among the leading causes of death for those aged 15 to 29, Coker called for early interventions to address the crisis.

According to him, mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are increasingly affecting young boys in Nigeria. Unfortunately, these issues are often overlooked due to societal expectations that boys must always appear strong.

Chinwe Onyemaechi, Anthony Onwudiwe, and Achebe Sunday of the Department of Psychology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, highlighted the critical dual crises of insecurity and substance abuse in Nigeria in their February 2025 study. They noted that these issues threaten national stability, undermine public health, and impede national development.

According to them, substance abuse not only harms individual well-being but also exacerbates insecurity through interconnected mechanisms, particularly drug trafficking and the criminal networks it sustains.

They explained that one of the primary ways this occurs is through the illicit drug trade, which fuels armed groups and criminal organisations, creating a vicious cycle of addiction, crime, and violence.

In Nigeria, the high rate of drug trafficking directly contributes to substance abuse while simultaneously strengthening the operations of criminal and insurgent groups. At the forefront of these security challenges are the Boko Haram insurgency and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

While Boko Haram has caused and continues to cause significant suffering in Nigeria, its activities have primarily been concentrated in the northeastern region. Since 2009, these groups have waged a violent campaign targeting civilians, government forces, and infrastructure in the northeast of the country.

Recently, the Nextier Group, in its report, exposed the dangerous connection between illicit drug trafficking and violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin, a region comprising Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.

The report highlights how insurgent groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP, rely on the lucrative drug trade to finance their operations and recruit members, exacerbating instability and undermining governance in the region.

According to the report, narcotics such as tramadol, cannabis, heroin, hashish, and cocaine are smuggled across the region’s porous borders. Weak state institutions and corruption within security forces have further enabled this trade.

Citing court records, the report detailed cases of bribery within Chad’s judicial and security sectors, underscoring the systemic challenges in combating this menace. Extremist groups reportedly use drug proceeds to purchase weapons, sustain their operations, and suppress fear among recruits before attacks.

The report referenced findings by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that revealed Boko Haram’s use of tramadol to embolden fighters, with drug consumption linked to heightened aggression against civilians and security forces.

Impoverished rural communities in the Lake Chad Basin remain particularly vulnerable to exploitation by drug traffickers and extremist groups.

The report noted that poverty, limited opportunities and the promise of financial rewards and social status often lure young people into criminal networks. This cycle of poverty, addiction, and violence has severely disrupted local economies, destroyed infrastructure, and discouraged investment, particularly in rural agricultural areas.

Efforts by regional governments and organisations, including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to tackle the dual threats of drug trafficking and violent extremism have faced significant obstacles, such as inadequate funding, corruption, and poor coordination.

Speaking at the 2025 Lagos Boy Child Initiative (LBCI) residential workshop recently held at the Lagos State Model College, Agbowa-Ikosi, in Ikosi-Ejirin Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and Prof Coker lamented that many boys afflicted by mental illness suffer in silence for fear of being judged or discriminated against.

Coker urged parents, teachers, and community leaders to recognise the signs of emotional distress in boys and provide them with the necessary support. He emphasised the importance of teaching boys suffering from mental illness that seeking help is not a sign of weakness.

“This is saddening and attests to the fact that we live in trying times in Nigeria. While the country suffers from a lack of purposeful leadership, the healthcare system is in shambles. An epidemic of sudden deaths sweeps across the land.

“A person might be hale and hearty today, but tomorrow they could suddenly slump and die. Now, insanity is taking a heavy toll on our country’s boys,” he said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in every four Nigerians (about 50 million people) suffers from mental illness.

Mental health issues among boys in Nigeria have become a growing concern, with recent studies highlighting a significant increase in psychiatric disorders among Nigerian boys. While international bodies like the UNODC and INTERPOL have assisted, the report stressed the need for stronger political will and long-term investment.

The Nextier Group proposed a multifaceted strategy to address the crisis, including strengthening border security through manpower and technology, enhancing community policing, and investing in education and economic empowerment initiatives.

The report also called for improved governance in law enforcement and targeted interventions to address the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of border communities.

The findings serve as a stark warning about the escalating challenges facing the Lake Chad region. Without urgent and coordinated action from governments, regional organisations, and international stakeholders, the dangerous link between drug trafficking and violent extremism will continue to fuel instability, violence, and human suffering across the region.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd.), recently reiterated the negative impact of drug abuse on the country.

Expressing concern over the high rate of drug abuse, Marwa stated that one in seven Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 uses drugs. This demographic represents 55 per cent of Nigeria’s 220 million population and constitutes the most productive segment of society.

Marwa defended an earlier proposal by the NDLEA advocating for mandatory drug testing for all prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Justifying the proposal during a courtesy visit by the Director General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, and top NYSC officials to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, Marwa explained that the push for mandatory drug integrity tests for corps members, prospective couples, and others is not punitive but a preventive strategy aimed at discouraging substance abuse and ensuring early intervention for users before addiction sets in.

He said, “The drug scourge has continued to devastate our kids, families, and communities. There’s nowhere you go in the country that doesn’t have a drug abuse problem. One in seven Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 uses drugs.”

While the NDLEA has recorded successes in combating the domestic drug scourge and trafficking, resulting in the arrest of 57,792 suspected peddlers, including barons, over the past three years, much work remains to be done.

Additionally, the agency secured 10,572 convictions, rehabilitated and counselled 22,047 addicts, and seized 9,959,340.9 kilogrammes of illicit drugs within the same period.

A breakdown of the figures obtained by The Guardian from the agency’s Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics showed an upward trajectory.

In 2024, there were 17,670 arrests, 3,427 convictions, and seizures totalling 2,726,837.80 kilogrammes of banned substances. This compared to 13,664 arrests, 3,412 convictions, 10,904 rehabilitations, and seizures of 1,606,799.1 kilogrammes of illicit drugs in 2023.

Similarly, in 2022, 14,152 suspects, including 13,026 males and 1,126 females, were arrested, while 3,480,368 kilogrammes of illicit drugs were seized, and 1,385 convictions, including 1,335 males and 50 females, were secured in the same year.

Investigations revealed that these successes were driven by the deployment of about 25,000 personnel to each of the country’s 774 local councils. This effort was aimed at strengthening the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking, particularly in local communities, where the domestic use of banned substances is rising, especially among youths.

According to the NDLEA, the essence of the initiative is to establish its presence at the community level for the purpose of intelligence gathering and delivering the right message against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking. This is part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative.

Considering the nation’s huge population of over 200 million people and the influx of heroin from Asia, cocaine from South America, cannabis from North Africa, and synthetic drugs from European bases, the efforts might be a drop in the ocean. Recent investigations have revealed an increasing use of substances and rising attacks on operatives.

Every week, Nigerian media are inundated with reports of individuals arrested for drug-related offences by the NDLEA. Across the streets of major cities, illicit drugs and psychoactive substances are freely bought and sold. Meanwhile, the nation’s drug crisis has resulted in seizures worth N500 billion yearly.

Some of these substances are cheaper than an average soft drink, making them readily accessible, especially to youths. They are often used as bait to lure the uninitiated into addiction.

The substances include diazepam, Rohypnol, cannabis sativa, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, Colorado, codeine, opioids, tramadol, synthetic variants, and other psychotropic substances.

Street names for these drugs include molly, X, roofies, banku, white, Thailand, Ice, schoolboy, little C, upper speed, special K, acid, loud, Arizona, Gegemu, Eskay, kush, and skushies, among others.

This situation is alarming. Data from the NDLEA shows that 1,229.37553 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed between January 2021 and December 2024. During the same period, the agency counselled and rehabilitated 22,047 individuals. Additionally, the WADA advocacy initiative held in 9,239 schools reached 3,333,678 participants across the country.

To tackle the escalating drug menace, Marwa stated that more funding is urgently required. For the 2025 fiscal year, the agency was allocated N67,512,564,063.80. This includes recurrent personnel costs of N47,159,240,496.80, recurrent overheads of N3,384,332,017.00, and capital expenditure of N16,968,991,550.00.

Marwa explained that the recurrent personnel costs reflect the agency’s nominal roll of over 14,038 officers and personnel, while recurrent overheads cover operational expenses for intelligence gathering, arrests, seizures, investigations, and prosecutions.

He called for the enhancement of the N16 billion capital expenditure allocation, noting that the ongoing barracks project component received zero funding. This, he stressed, is critical for providing secure accommodation for the agency’s workforce across the country.

The Director of Constitutional Watch (CONSWATCH), a civil society organisation, Aham Njoku, supported the agency’s quest to take more comprehensive steps in preventing substance abuse.

Njoku stressed the need to sensitise Nigerians about the misconception that selling hard drugs is a quick path to wealth.

Also, a group, Rescue Nigeria, through its People’s Parliament (a quarterly public discussion by Nigerians at home and abroad) urged families, schools, faith-based organisations, community groups, traditional institutions, and the government to work collectively to address substance abuse among the country’s youth.

The group warned that Nigeria risks pervasive violence, crime, wasteful expenditure, and broken homes if the issue is not tackled decisively.

Participants at a recent forum organised by the group included Dr Charles Umeh, a consultant clinical psychologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos; Dr Gbenga Shadare, a sociologist and lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University, United Kingdom; and David Folaranmi, a mental health advocate and founder of the David Folaranmi Foundation.

Folaranmi, who recovered from substance abuse before receiving training from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, revealed that children as young as 11 years old now abuse substances.