The Kwara State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Bashir Ibrahim has noted that due to their vulnerability, youths now glamourise illicit use of drugs.
Ibrahim promised to make the anti-narcotic agency more visible in sporting events as a way to control drug trafficking.
He said the decision was borne out of recent challenges faced in policing drug traffickers in the state.
“Youths tend to glamourise drug use. Matters are not helped when adults, handlers of athletes tend to sell them the drugs. We recently secured conviction of a coach who was selling drugs to young athletes in his care,” Ibrahim said.
The Kwara NDLEA boss stated this on Wednesday when some sports reporters visited him in his office in Ilorin, the state capital.
He also revealed a grim scenario in drug law enforcement in the state, saying that the use and supply of synthetic cannabis, a modified form of Indian hemp is now prevalent among drug abusers.
Ibrahim also stressed that more women are involved in the supply chain of the banned substances like the synthetic cannabis in the state.
Earlier, the state chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ayodeji Ismail, had said that sports writers are very much aware of the dangers drug abuse pose to sports and youth development.
He urged the NDLEA to always make their presence felt at sports events, convinced that such will help keep to drug traffickers away from the athletes.