The South West zone of Nigeria has the highest record of drug abuse and trafficking of illicit substances.
This is according to National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, which says Southwest records about twenty-two point four percent of the total number of drug abuser by young people across the country.
Its Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Buba Marwa disclosed that in the goe-political zone, Lagos and Oyo states are top of the list.
He added that more attention has been shifted to the states to ensure the war against illicit drug usage is won.
According to Marwa who was speaking at a book launch in Ibadan, Lagos state has a record of twenty-three percent while Oyo state records a total of twenty-four percent of all the states across the Southwest zone.
While stressing on the agency’s recent report on the war against illicit drugs, Marwa noted that over ninety billion naira worth of drugs and cash have so far been recovered by the agency in a space of five months.
He added that about five thousand arrests have been made, while three thousand have been charged to court and more than two thousand of them are undergoing counselling.
According to him, Our record at the NDLEA in the first five months of this year calls for sober reflection: over 5, 000 arrests; over 3, 000 charged to court with more than 500 convictions; 2,303 individuals were counselled and treated for drug-related problems.
He called on Nigerians to support the agency in it’s fight against the menace, as it is a major contributing factor to insecurity in the country.

The NDLEA boss said statistics of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking recorded by the agency in the first five months of the year calls for sober reflection.
“These statistics are alarming and are red flags about the need to safeguard the future of the young generation.
“This is to awaken your consciousness to the urgent need for every citizen of Nigeria to support the NDLEA in its efforts to save our country from the menace of abuse and trafficking of illicit substances.
“We must attach some urgency to the need to rid our society of the drug menace, that is why we are advocating a new social order where drug test becomes the norms for couples as part of the wedding rites,” he said.
Marwa said the agency was also advocating for drug test for students that want to gain admission into tertiary institutions and for government employees as part of the employment process and periodic validation of their employment.

The book authored by Retired Brigadier-General Larinde Laoye is entitled: “Victory In Defeat (The Manifestation Of God’s Power)”.
He described the author of the book as a very brilliant and a role model worthy of emulation, and called on younger generation to follow the illustrious path of Laoye.
Marwa said if Laoye had taken to drugs as a young man he would not have achieved what he had achieved.
Laoye said only God knew why he became a victim of crime he never committed, adding that the book was for the world to hear his own side of the story.
He, therefore, called on Nigerian youths to be focussed and believed in God as the only one that could uplift them to a greater height.