A consultant psychiatrist, Joel Umar, said a high level of drug abuse had led to more pressure in health facilities and the judiciary in Adamawa.

Mr Umar stated this at the commemoration of the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday in Yola. He said that no fewer than 50 per cent of patients admitted to the Psychiatric Unit of Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola, between January and June 2025 were drug-related cases.

According to him, the evidence is clear even as the same situation is obtainable in the judiciary sector, as most of the crimes committed by young people are a result of drug abuse.

He added that some of the factors that drove the abusers were ignorance, poor parenting, and societal and environmental factors.

Mr Umar called on parents to double their efforts to ensure good parenting to save the future of their children. He called on the youth to understand that the more they abused drugs, the more they were taking poison into their body.

Aliyu Abubakar, the NDLEA commander in Adamawa, called on all stakeholders to collaborate with the agency in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

According to him, the agency is committed to combating the scourge of drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Adamawa.

(NAN)