A 56-year-old suspected drug trafficker, Lawal Lateef Oyenuga, has been arrested by the operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
He was nabbed with 400 grams of cocaine drug concealed in a pair of sandals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This was made known in a press release signed by NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, via his Twitter handle on Sunday.
Oyenuga was intercepted on his way to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight on Thursday at the screening point in the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.
There are concerns over rampant trafficking and abuse of drugs by Nigerians. It has been observed that the drug problem has become one of the world’s greatest challenges that threaten the well being of human society.
Consequences of drug abuse, including chronic health conditions and untimely death, are such that cannot be ignored by any responsible government.
Reports show that Nigeria is now a major cannabis cultivating and consuming country.
Four years ago, the country had 10.6 million users of the psychoactive plant, which made it the world’s leading cannabis-consuming country.
The country has also become a dumping ground for illicit pharmaceutical opioids, especially codeine and tramadol, just as it remains Africa’s major transit country for cocaine and heroin, reports had shown.
Four years ago, the National Drug Use Survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), showed that the drug use prevalence in Nigeria is 14.4per cent. This is relatively high compared to the annual global average of 5.5per cent.
That the country had 14.3 million of its compatriots who abused drugs is a cause of concern.
Last year, the World Drug Report 2021 warned of a likely 11per cent increase in the number of people who abuse illicit substances over the next eight years. About 40per cent of that increase is projected to come from Africa alone.