The Apapa Strategic Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has stated that most imported contraband in the country comes through the seaports.

The Apapa Strategic Commander of the NDLEA, Buba Wakawa, disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists at the Command as part of activities to mark the commemoration of the 2025 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking.

Wakawa stated that the event billed to take place on Thursday is themed ‘The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention, break the cycle’.

Speaking on the coming event, Wakawa explained that June 26 of every year has been designated by the United Nations as a day to create awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and illicit trafficking and adopt localised actions by member countries aimed at sensitising their immediate communities to achieve a world free of drug use and trafficking.

He admitted that the agency has put structures in place to ensure that the importation of these contrabands is curtailed at the seaports.

“We are all aware that most of these drugs that are being abused in society are imported into the country, and some of them come through the seaports. At the seaports, we have different departments put together to ensure that we curtail the importation of this substance of abuse through our ports. So, our relationship with the sister security agencies has been very cordial,” he said.

Wakawa mentioned that the major mandate of the Command is to ensure the reduction of drug abuse at the seaport.

“On our part, we have supply reduction and drug demand reduction. In the supply reduction, we try to curtail the influx of these drugs. And that is our major mandate at the seaport: to reduce the availability to reduce drug abuse,” he said.

According to him, the 2018 United Nations Drug Survey puts the number of Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 years who had used drugs in the preceding years at an estimated 14.3 million.

He stated that this year’s theme urges the agency to strengthen actions and cooperation in curtailing the availability, accessibility, and affordability of drugs: “If we must guarantee sound health and security in our communities, drugs have to be curtailed.”

Wakawa highlighted that crimes and insecurity are products of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, adding that the Command has embarked on initiatives to increase awareness.

“Crime and new ways of insecurity are products of drug abuse and illicit trafficking. I am happy to inform you that the Command has undertaken the initiative to embark on some activities that will increase awareness and knowledge of the potential health, social, and legal consequences of illicit drugs, drug use, and trafficking. These are initiatives we intend to carry out within the port and the host communities of Apapa under the Command’s areas of operations,” he said.

He emphasised that part of the objective for this year’s engagement is to bring together a broad spectrum of the society, the schools and students, regulatory government and sister security agencies, terminal operators and stakeholders, and the press and the media “in a unionism of one voice against drug abuse and illicit trafficking”.