NDLEA Rehabilitates 53,800 Drug Users In 5 Years

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rehabilitated more than 53,800 persons in its 31 facilities across Nigeria in the last five years, as it called for increased investment in mental health care and community-based rehabilitation.

NDLEA chairman, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this at the fifth edition of The Conversation Conference (TCC 5.0), organised by Intersect Consortium, where he stressed the need to address the link between substance abuse and mental health challenges.

Marwa said untreated depression, trauma and other psychological challenges often contributed to drug abuse, particularly among young people, warning that tackling substance abuse without addressing its underlying causes would yield limited results.

“If we only arrest symptoms, we will keep missing the cause,” he said, noting that drug use and mental illness often reinforced each other.

He called for increased funding for mental health services, more trained psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and community health workers, as well as the integration of mental health care into primary healthcare to improve access to treatment.

The NDLEA chairman said the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse campaign was designed to educate young people in schools, tertiary institutions and communities before they became involved in substance abuse.

He also highlighted the agency’s 24-hour toll-free helpline, which provides support to people experiencing distress and families seeking assistance.

According to him, the agency has introduced community-based livelihood programmes in three pilot communities across different states to help families previously dependent on illicit drug cultivation earn legitimate incomes.

He said the initiative would be expanded to other geopolitical zones, adding that sustainable livelihoods could reduce poverty, ease stress and strengthen families.

Marwa urged the media to give greater attention to the agency’s counselling, treatment and rehabilitation efforts, rather than focusing mainly on arrests, drug seizures and prosecutions.

He also called for inclusive mental health services that prioritise women, children, persons with disabilities and families displaced by conflict, stressing that no single government agency or organisation could address the challenge alone.

Earlier, the chairperson of Intersect Consortium, Hajiya Ammuna Lawan Ali, said the fifth edition of the conference marked a shift from conversations about mental health to practical action.

She said mental health interventions must reflect Nigeria’s cultural, religious, social and economic realities while drawing on proven global practices.

Ali called for greater investment in prevention, early intervention, community-based care, rehabilitation and research, stressing that families, teachers, religious leaders and primary healthcare workers often served as the first points of contact for people experiencing mental health challenges.

She urged stakeholders to strengthen these community structures and link them with professional mental health services to ensure early intervention and reduce stigma.

Ali also called for stronger partnerships among government, the private sector, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, and academia.

She stressed that people with lived experience of mental health conditions and their families must have a meaningful role in shaping policies and services designed to support them.

The conference, held shortly after World Mental Health Day, focused on strategic investment, partnerships and community-led action, with participants calling for sustained financing and accountability to make quality mental health care accessible to all Nigerians.