CSOs seek repeal of drug laws in Nigeria

Civil Society Organisations are seeking for the repeal of drug laws in Nigeria, which according to them, do not take into cognizance the health and human rights of people who use drugs. This position was taken at a Stakeholders Roundtable on Drug Control and Criminal Justice Reform in Nigeria, held at the Administration of Criminal […]

Civil Society Organisations are seeking for the repeal of drug laws in Nigeria, which according to them, do not take into cognizance the health and human rights of people who use drugs.

This position was taken at a Stakeholders Roundtable on Drug Control and Criminal Justice Reform in Nigeria, held at the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee Secretariat, Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Seyi Kehinde, Advocacy Manager, Youthrise Nigeria, said it was high time the Nigerian drug laws were in tandem with current realities.

He said the continued criminalization of drugs for personal use was posing a lot of health challenges to a large number of the Nigerian population who use drugs.

“Nobody wants to be seen as a criminal so it is difficult for people who are sick as a resulting of using drugs to come out publicly to seek medical help,” he said.

During his presentation, Nonso Nduka, a pharmacist, said 40 per cent of the high risk drug users want treatment but are unable to get it.

He added that chronic pain and high blood pressure stood out as the two main conditions drug users were diagnosed with during a nationwide survey.

He said that there were only 11 drug treatment centres in Nigeria but were ran as psychiatric centres which discouraged people with problematic drug use cases to go there for treatment.

Also speaking, Mr. Femi Oloruntoba, Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said the agency was at the forefront of the campaign for the repeal of drug laws in the country.

He also said government must improve funding for the agency to purchase necessary equipment and meet obligations under the ACJA.

“Training must be made a priority and must be continuous and there must be adequate staff to do the job of the agency as there are only 4,864 staff all over Nigeria presently,” he added.

The roundtable, which was put together by Youthrise Nigeria, West Africa Drug Policy Network, African Law Foundation with support from Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, had representatives from the police, Nigeria Bar Association, Prisons, National Human Rights Commission, ministries of Justice and Health as well as non.governmental organisations (NGO).