Ahead of this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which will be held on Friday, the Youth Against Drug Abuse (YADA Nigeria) has called for a more robust campaign and actions from the government at all levels, corporate firms, religious bodies and other stakeholders against drug abuse among Nigerian youths.

The project coordinators of YADA Nigeria, Paul Onyebuchi Anyanwu, Lanre Sofela and Salisu Hassan, said it had become a collective responsibility of all stakeholders to stem the tide of drug abuse in the country.
They lamented that it had escalated crimes, violence and cultism.

Last week, at Kode Street, Maryland area of Lagos State, one Pastor Samuel Aderibigbe was reportedly killed by his son, Joshua, who ran mad after taking a drug known as Colorado. Also, a suspected drug addict stabbed his father and mother to death in Ejigbo area of Lagos last February.

Drug abuse is described as the persistent, frequent consumption and over-dose of drugs without a pharmacist or doctor’s prescription, which later becomes a self-destructive pattern that leads to significant problems and distress.