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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday, raised the alarm over what it describes as alarming levels of drug abuse among young Nigerians, warning that the country’s response to the crisis must be grounded in human rights principles rather than punitive measures alone.
In a statement made available to DAILY INDEPENDENT, marking the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, said rising substance abuse and trafficking now pose a serious threat to public health, security, and national development, requiring urgent and coordinated action from government and civil society alike.
Ojukwu insisted that any enforcement strategy must comply with the 1999 Constitution’s guarantees of life, dignity, liberty, and fair hearing, as well as Nigeria’s commitments under the Mental Health Act 2021, the National Health Act 2022, and international instruments including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Executive Secretary said Nigerians struggling with drug dependence should not face stigma, discrimination, or degrading treatment, but should instead have access to healthcare, rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and reintegration programmes.
He linked the drug crisis to a broader pattern of rights violations, arguing that substance abuse fuels domestic violence, crime, human trafficking, and insecurity — all of which erode the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms.
Ojukwu said the Commission has positioned itself at the forefront of advocacy for a public health approach to drug use, pointing to its regular national legislative forums aimed at promoting harm-reduction policy debates.
In a direct appeal to lawmakers, Ojukwu called on the National Assembly to build human rights safeguards into the proposed national policy on drug use quantification thresholds.
He urged legislators to ensure the policy clearly distinguishes between people using drugs for medicinal or therapeutic purposes and those involved in trafficking, cautioning that treatment seekers should not be criminalized.
He also called on law enforcement agencies to intensify the fight against illicit trafficking while strictly observing national and international human rights standards in their operations.
The Commission urged government agencies, civil society groups, schools, faith-based organizations, and community leaders to step up awareness campaigns targeting children and youth, and reaffirmed its commitment to addressing root causes of drug abuse such as poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, and limited access to education and mental health care for the teaming and unemployed youths in the country.
