Terrorism Begins With Small Choices’: Police Link Drug Abuse To Rising Insecurity
The Ogun State Police Command, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and civil society organisations have identified substance abuse among young people as a major trigger of terrorism, kidnapping, cultism and other violent crimes across Nigeria.
The stakeholders made the submission on Saturday at a seminar organised by the Department of Mass Communication, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State, with the theme: “Substance Abuse and National Insecurity: Building Responsible Youth Through Entrepreneurship.”
Delivering his presentation, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said security investigations have consistently shown that narcotics remain a common factor in many violent crimes.
According to him, Nigeria’s growing insecurity often begins long before acts of terrorism or kidnapping occur.
“National insecurity does not begin with terrorism or kidnapping; it often begins with small choices made by individuals, choices that gradually destroy self-control, moral judgment and respect for the law,” Babaseyi said.
He explained that offences such as armed robbery, cult clashes, rape and cybercrime are frequently perpetrated by individuals under the influence of hard drugs, while criminal syndicates deliberately recruit and exploit drug-dependent youths.
Babaseyi added that under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, the Command has intensified intelligence-led policing, community engagement, school sensitisation and inter-agency collaboration to address crime at its roots.
Also speaking, Ogun State NDLEA spokesperson, ASN Haris Musa, who was represented by ASN Yusuf Orisadare, said substance abuse and violent crime have become inseparable, stressing that addiction often fuels robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and murder.
He expressed concern over the increasing abuse of cannabis, methamphetamine (ice), tramadol, rohypnol, locally mixed substances such as “skuchies” and “colos”, as well as other dangerous chemical mixtures.
According to him, tackling drug abuse would significantly reduce the prevalence of violent crimes across the country.
The NDLEA official also disclosed that the agency had recently secured several convictions, including that of a 78-year-old man sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment for drug-related offences.
President of the Asiwaju Dapo Wahab Foundation, Dapo Wahab, blamed youth hopelessness for pushing many young Nigerians into substance abuse and criminal activities, advocating entrepreneurship as a sustainable solution.
“If we refuse to engage and empower our youths legitimately, armed robbers, drug dealers and kidnappers will come around and empower them.
Replacing hopelessness with productivity and purpose is how we secure our communities,” he said.
In her remarks, the founder of M19 Event Consort, Mrs Bola Solate, described entrepreneurship as a critical tool for reducing youth restiveness, urging governments and financial institutions to make startup funding more accessible to young entrepreneurs.
She encouraged students to combine formal education with practical skills acquisition, insisting that productive engagement remains one of the strongest safeguards against crime.
The Centre Director, Mr Adekunle Durosinmi, also urged young Nigerians to reject substance abuse, remain committed to their education and embrace innovation and entrepreneurship as pathways to responsible citizenship and national development.
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