By Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko <\/p>\n
The Rising Involvement of Elderly Nigerians in Drug Trafficking and the commensurate pro-active NDLEA’s Intelligence-Led Operations and Successful Prosecutions of these hard drug traffickers is a very worrying trend in Nigeria but at the same time commendable on the part of the counter-narcotics agency the NDLEA.<\/p>\n
To us in HURIWA, it is definitely of grave concern over the disturbing emergence of elderly Nigerians as active participants in illicit drug trafficking and peddling, describing the trend as a dangerous moral and social decline that threatens the nation’s traditional values and undermines efforts to protect Nigerian youths from substance abuse. <\/p>\n
But a recollection of what scientists identified as the forgotten psychology of African elders and the spiritual world, would remind us of the fact that the growing involvement of Nigerian elders in crimes of hard drug criminal networks, is a sign that the concept of elders as the bridge between the young and our respected traditional and cultural values is deteriorating at a very faster speed. This is what these unprecedented arrests by the NDLEA of elders in hard drugs crimes reveals. Once more, we the people of Nigeria owe a great deal of commendations for the proactive management team at the NDLEA.<\/p>\n
We will get some citations from the scholarly work of Henry Wasosa of the Department of Theology, Ethics, Religious studies and Philosophy at the prestigious Catholic University of Zimbabwe, Harare, who dealt with the topic of ‘The Forgotten Psychology of African Elders and the Spiritual world’. A reading of this work clearly shows how bad things have become when we analyse the growing and frightening involvement of elderly citizens in hard drugs crimes in Nigeria which has come to the forefront of our national conversation because of the unprecedented arrests of elderly citizens caught up in narcotics trafficking in Nigeria By the Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa-led National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).<\/p>\n
This aforementioned study by Henry Wasosa explores the often-overlooked psychological and cultural role of African community elders as spiritual authorities and custodians of communal well-being. In many African societies, elders are historically perceived as intermediaries between the living and the spiritual world, endowed with the ability to pronounce blessings or curses believed to directly affect individuals, families, and the land. This indigenous psychology rooted in collective consciousness, moral reciprocity, and metaphysical causality has gradually been eroded by Western education, urbanization, and changing religious orientations. Drawing from African philosophy, cultural psychology, and anthropology, the paper argued under my interrogation by the psychologist in Zimbabwe aforementioned, for the preservation of this cultural heritage as a vital component of African identity, unity and social development. HURIWA argues too that the emergence of the growing trend of elderly citizens of Nigeria becoming involved in narcotics crimes deserves and demands strategic medic advocacy campaigns to stop this trend from continuing. This is a task we have set for patriotic Nigerians. <\/p>\n
As a way of explanation, the aforementioned scholar informed us that in the worldview of many African societies, elders hold a revered position as custodians of wisdom, mediators of disputes, and intermediaries between the living and the spiritual realm [1]. Their authority extends beyond political leadership or social guidance; it encompasses a profound spiritual mandate. Within this framework, blessings pronounced by elders are believed to bring prosperity, fertility, and peace, while curses can invoke misfortune, illness, or social disharmony [2]. This cultural psychology, deeply embedded in collective consciousness, has historically ensured moral discipline, social cohesion, and a sense of continuity between generations.
\nHowever, the forces of colonization, Western education, religious change, and globalization have significantly diminished the influence of elders\u2019 spiritual authority.<\/p>\n
Hebry Wasosa was also quick to suggest that many younger Africans now view such beliefs as outdated or incompatible with modern rationalism, often dismissing them as superstition. This epistemic shift has implications not only for cultural identity but also for the moral and social frameworks that underpin African communities.<\/p>\n
While recognizing the benefits of modern education and global integration, the scholar contends that erasing indigenous psychological systems risks undermining African unity, moral order, and self-determination. Ubuntu is a Southern African philosophy emphasizing human interconnectedness and the moral imperative to care for others, often summarized as \u201cI am because we are\u201d.<\/p>\n
It is in a bid to find a way back to waging strategic advocacy campaigns to dissuade Nigerian elders from deliberately becoming involved in the perpetuation of the sophisticated organised crime of hard drugs trafficking that the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) said the recent arrests by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of elderly suspects, including two grandfathers allegedly caught supplying illicit drugs to secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State, as well as previous arrests of octogenarians in Abia and Ekiti States for alleged drug-related offences, should serve as a wake-up call to government, families, religious institutions and communities to urgently address the socio-economic and moral factors driving some senior citizens into criminal enterprises.<\/p>\n
The rights group noted that old age has always been revered in African society as a period associated with wisdom, integrity, mentorship and moral leadership. It therefore described as heartbreaking the allegation that individuals old enough to be grandparents are now being linked to the distribution of dangerous narcotics, including to vulnerable teenagers and school children.<\/p>\n
According to HURIWA, while every suspect remains entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction, the repeated arrests of elderly persons for similar offences point to a troubling pattern that deserves serious national attention beyond routine criminal prosecution.
\nThe association observed that the phenomenon may not be unconnected with the prevailing economic hardship confronting millions of Nigerians, particularly retirees and elderly citizens who struggle daily with inadequate pensions, rising inflation, poor healthcare, increasing cost of living and the gradual collapse of traditional family support systems.<\/p>\n
HURIWA said that although economic hardship can never justify criminal conduct, government must honestly confront the reality that widespread poverty and social neglect have made some vulnerable elderly citizens susceptible to recruitment by organised drug trafficking syndicates seeking individuals who may attract less suspicion from law enforcement agencies.
\nThe association stated that criminal organisations have continued to evolve sophisticated methods of evading security agencies, including recruiting women, the elderly and other vulnerable persons to distribute illicit substances. It stressed, however, that recent intelligence-driven operations by the NDLEA have demonstrated that no criminal, irrespective of age or status, is beyond the reach of the law.<\/p>\n
HURIWA therefore applauds the Chairman\/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), and the officers and men of the agency for sustaining what it described as an unprecedented level of professionalism, operational efficiency and intelligence gathering in the nation’s fight against narcotics trafficking.
\nThe association said the consistency with which NDLEA operatives have uncovered sophisticated drug trafficking networks across airports, seaports, highways, courier companies, markets, residential communities and educational environments reflects a remarkable institutional transformation worthy of national recognition.
\nHURIWA further commended the agency for refusing to be influenced by the age, social standing or perceived vulnerability of suspects, insisting that equality before the law remains one of the strongest pillars of constitutional democracy.
\nThe rights body also praised the NDLEA for adopting a balanced and humane approach in handling teenage victims of drug abuse by placing them on counselling and rehabilitation instead of merely treating them as criminals.
\nAccording to HURIWA, such a strategy reflects international best practices, recognising that many young drug users are themselves victims of exploitation by criminal networks and therefore deserve opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
\nThe association equally expressed satisfaction with the growing record of successful prosecutions secured by the NDLEA against drug traffickers across the country.
\nHURIWA recalled that for many years, Nigerians expressed concern over the inability of anti-drug efforts to translate into sustained convictions and dismantling of criminal networks. Today, however, the agency has continued to demonstrate remarkable diligence in ensuring that investigations culminate in successful prosecutions, forfeiture of criminal assets and the disruption of organised narcotics syndicates.
\nAccording to HURIWA, these legal victories are restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s criminal justice system while helping to rebuild the country’s international image, which suffered for decades because of the activities of transnational drug trafficking organisations.
\nThe association noted that every successful prosecution sends a clear message that Nigeria is no longer a safe haven for drug barons and criminal cartels, while simultaneously reassuring the international community that the country is making measurable progress in combating organised crime.
\nHURIWA also commended the expanding collaboration between the NDLEA and other security agencies, describing inter-agency cooperation as indispensable in confronting the increasingly sophisticated operations of international drug trafficking networks.
\nThe association further applauded the agency’s nationwide anti-drug advocacy campaigns in schools, markets, motor parks, places of worship and communities, saying that prevention through education remains as important as arrests and prosecutions.
\nHURIWA urged parents, teachers, religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and community leaders to become more actively involved in protecting young Nigerians from substance abuse by promoting responsible parenting, moral instruction and community vigilance.
\nThe association also called on the Federal Government to strengthen social protection programmes for elderly citizens by ensuring prompt payment of pensions, improving access to affordable healthcare, expanding economic support initiatives for retirees and addressing the broader socio-economic conditions that expose vulnerable citizens to criminal exploitation.
\nHURIWA stressed that while compassion should always be extended to elderly Nigerians facing genuine economic difficulties, such sympathy must never be interpreted as tolerance for criminal conduct capable of destroying the lives and futures of innocent young people.
\nThe association maintained that anyone found culpable after due judicial process must face the full weight of the law irrespective of age, occupation or social status.
\nHURIWA reassured the NDLEA of its unwavering support in the agency’s relentless campaign against illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse, urging the officers and men of the organisation not to relent despite the enormous risks associated with confronting organised criminal syndicates.
\nThe association also appealed to Nigerians to continue providing credible intelligence to security agencies, emphasising that the fight against illicit drugs cannot be won by government alone but requires collective vigilance and active public participation.
\nHURIWA believes that the recent wave of arrests and the increasing number of successful prosecutions by the NDLEA represent significant milestones in Nigeria’s determination to rid society of the devastating menace of illicit drugs.<\/p>\n
The association therefore calls on all Nigerians to support the anti-drug campaign, protect young people from the destructive influence of narcotics and work collectively towards building a healthier, safer and more responsible society.<\/p>\n
*Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko is the National Coordinator of the
\nHUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and was NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF the NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF NIGERIA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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