Illicit drugs and electoral violence

• Published date: 24 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

SIR: As the general elections approach, there is the need to draw attention to the nexus between drug abuse and electoral violence. Looking at the statistics of 2011, post-election violence led to the death of at least 800 people over three days of rioting in 12 states across northern Nigeria - the worst so far in the country's political history. Unfortunately, the Nigerian youths who are the supposed leaders of tomorrow are used as a medium by greedy politicians to visit mayhem on their opponents and innocent citizens and this singular act affects the credibility of democracy, which elections are supposed to project.

Political thugs cannot fully operate without the use of illicit substances. This is so because drugs and crime work hand in hand. Therefore the NDLEA under the leadership of respected former military administrator of Lagos, Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) should deploy more efforts in the aspect of drug supply reduction because when the chain of drug manufacturing and distribution is broken, the crime rate during this election will be brought down to the barest minimum.

The NDLEA continues to make seizures of large quantities of drugs on daily basis. Since Marwa assumed office, one can almost say that the drug cartels have been living in hell because of the intensity of heat he daily puts on them. Listening to him speak at a media briefing last, I picked the following words of reassurance. According to him, 'Already, we have 34 barons in our net and they are facing the music in court. We...