The Drug-Free Arewa Movement, DFAM, has raised the alarm over the rising cases of drug trafficking and substance abuse in Northern Nigeria, describing the menace as a silent epidemic gradually exterminating the region’s future.
Lead Convener of DFAM, Ibrahim Yusuf, made the disclosure in his Eid-el-Kabir message to Nigerians on Friday in Abuja. He lamented that drug abuse is fast becoming a destructive force eating deep into the fabric of Northern society.
Yusuf, while congratulating Muslims on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, urged leaders at all levels — including politicians, traditional rulers, religious institutions, lawmakers, civil society actors, and families — to treat the fight against substance abuse as a national emergency.
“This menace has paralyzed development and development opportunities, provided avenues for social vices, and mental health crises,” he warned.
“We are losing our youth — the greatest asset — to addiction, unemployment and hopelessness.”
The DFAM convener emphasised that the organisation is not limiting itself to advocacy alone but is actively working with communities, schools and religious institutions to implement evidence-based substance demand reduction strategies aimed at curbing the scourge.
He called on the Northern States Governors’ Forum, their spouses, and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council to rise to the challenge and respond proactively to the crisis.
“Drug abuse does not discriminate based on ethnicity, politics or religion… It is a monster that rides into the home, the school, the street and the place of worship,” Yusuf stressed.
He paid tribute to the legacies of past Northern leaders such as Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, urging present-day leaders to emulate their values of unity, vision and purpose in steering the region out of its current predicaments.
Yusuf tasked stakeholders to reintegrate out-of-school children, establish rehabilitation centres, adopt school-based drug prevention programmes, and create meaningful economic opportunities for the youth to keep them engaged and productive.
“Say no to drugs; it is a slow killer that steals your future and your peace,” he said.
“To those already addicted — you can quit. DFAM is here to help.”
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