NHRC Raises Alarm Over Escalating Drug Abuse, Illicit Trafficking Nationwide

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday raised fresh alarm over the escalating rate of drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Nigeria, warning that the growing menace now poses a grave threat to national security, public health, human dignity and the country’s socio-economic development.
The Commission urged the federal government, lawmakers, security agencies and other stakeholders to adopt a human rights-based approach in tackling the crisis, insisting that victims of drug dependence should receive treatment and rehabilitation rather than stigma and abuse.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu, made the call in a statement marking the 2026 Internation...