Nigeria

Major Drug Problems

Psychoactive substances, such as alcohol and caffeine-containing kola nuts, have been produced, consumed, and controlled in many parts of Nigeria for centuries. Cannabis, heroin, and cocaine only appeared in the 20th century but have since been perceived as Nigeria's major problem drugs. In addition, prescription drugs of substandard quality have caused many Nigerian deaths but have only been seen as a problem in recent years.

Cannabis started to be extensively used and cultivated after World War II, when Nigerian soldiers returning from British India introduced the drug domestically. Since then cannabis has developed into a major cash crop, in particular in southern parts of Nigeria that were affected by declining incomes from traditional agricultural commodities, such as cocoa. Cannabis smoking was initially restricted to Nigeria's urban poor but has become common among diverse social groups, such as students, artists, and law enforcement officers. Nigerian cannabis is also exported to neighboring West African countries and countries further afield, such as the United Kingdom. Although little reliable data is available on Nigerian cannabis use and cultivation, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that more than 8 percent of Nigerians consume cannabis and that Nigeria is one of Africa's most important cannabis producing countries.

Heroin and cocaine have attracted the most international attention to Nigeria. While the cultivation of opium and coca has never been significant, the transshipment trade in heroin and cocaine has been firmly established since the beginning of the 1980s. During the following two decades the number of Nigerians involved in the transit trade from major drug producer countries in Asia and Latin America to major consuming states in Europe and the United States increased considerably. Today most drugs are smuggled into Nigeria in the personal luggage of travelers, whereas airborne couriers swallow small amounts of drugs on their way to consumer countries. In recent years, some sizable seaborne shipments have also been reported, such as a 2.4 metric ton cocaine shipment en route to Nigeria in January 2008. In contrast, almost nothing is known about domestic heroin and cocaine use, which is supposed to have expanded as a result of the transit trade.

Domestic Drug Policy

Nigeria's first policy on opium, cocaine and cannabis, the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, was introduced in 1927. As in most British colonies at the time, this drug law was not a result of domestic concerns over drugs but a response to international agreements, particularly the 1925 International Opium Convention. While cannabis was discussed in policy circles throughout the 1960s and 1970s, illegal drugs only appeared on the top of the policy agenda in the mid-1980s when an increasing number of Nigerian heroin and cocaine smugglers were arrested at airports. Nigeria's military government responded by introducing the death penalty for drug smuggling; however, this harsh policy was soon abandoned in the face of popular opposition. In 1989 a specialized state agency was set up to coordinate drug control. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) remains the key institution of Nigerian drug policy today.

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