Lie! Anambra state is not leading in drug abuse in Nigeria!

By Okechukwu Onuegbu

Claim: On 6^th March 2018, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Anambra State command, Mr. Charles Efosa Odigie, while addressing journalists, labelled Anambra State the leading state in drug peddling, abuse and misuse in the country.

Conclusion: the claim is most likely false.

The report:

In an interview with some journalists published by theNigerianvoice.com, on 6^th March 2018, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NDLEA, Anambra State Command, Mr. Charles Efosa Odigie, labelled Anambra State the leading state in drug peddling, abuse and misuse in the country.

He was quoted of saying: “Anambra State is the leading state when it comes to drug abuse, and we have been doing our best to reduce the scourge to the barest minimum.”

VERIFYING THE CLAIMS: Anambra State leading in drug abuse

Data gathered from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that what the image maker of NDLEA said is most likely false. UNODC in a research entitled Drug Use in Nigeria in 2018 published by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics on January 29, 2019, as well as on the NDLEA website, reported that in 2017, states such as Oyo, Lagos, Ondo and Gombe had 21-33% prevalence of drug use in Nigeria. Ondo State was specifically mentioned to have 22.4%.

In the same data, Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Ogun, Delta, Imo, Bayelsa and Enugu were categorised as states with 16-20% prevalence of drug use in Nigeria. Bayelsa was specifically reported to have 16.6%. Similarly, Rivers, Akwa-ibom, Cross River, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Edo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba were listed under state with 11-15%.

Again, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), Kogi and Benue were placed under 7-10%.The survey report further listed states in the South East with annual prevalence of any drug use (abuse) to include, Imo (18.1%), Enugu (16.3%), Ebonyi (12.8%), Abia (11.3%), and Anambra (11.2%). It also ranked Yobe, Imo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Lagos states as “the states where it was more difficult to access treatment for drug use disorders.”

The UNODC Drug Use in Nigeria report is a National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It was funded by the European Union (EU) under the 10^th European Development Fund (EDF) as part of the UNODC implemented project, “Response to Drugs and Related Organised Crime in Nigeria.”

Additionally, Drug Seizure and Arrest 2017 statistics published by the NBS shows that Edo state recorded a total of 45, 338.97 cases of drug arrests, Ondo state (32,729.04); Kano state (18,654.49); and Plateau state (17,674.70). Anambra State was 23^rd on the statistics with a record of 1,005.49.

Similarly, Drug Seizure and Arrest Statistics 2018 published by NBS reflected that 316,365kg of drugs were seized in 2018. A total of 271,812 kg of Cannabis was seized in 2018. This represents 85.9% percentage of the total drug seized within the period under review. Tramadol followed closely with 22,562kg seized representing 7.1% of the total drug seized. Edo State recorded the highest kg (42,402) of drug seizure while Borno State recorded the least with 147.54kg of drugs seized. Anambra State recorded 459.59.

The data further added that 9,824 arrests were made in 2018. Out of these 9,824 arrests made in 2018, Jigawa recorded a total of 637, Borno (622), Kano (540), Bauchi (499), Abia (455), Akwa-ibom (418) and Edo (328). Anambra State has a record of 196.

  

[A WhatsApp message was sent to the PRO of NDLEA, Anambra State Command, Mr. Charles Efosa Odigie to clarify the claims. He told our reporter to forget it because it was published last year during which it caused a lot of rancour. “Though it’s the fact but our people don’t like when the truth is said,” he added. Our reporter requested for the data he used so as to verify his claims. He promised to provide it on Wednesday. But has not done that till date].