The high cost of drug addiction treatment in Yobe is pushing families into financial ruin and profound despair. Hassan Jakusko, the focal person on drug abuse control in Yobe, disclosed this in Damaturu.

Mr Jakusko said, partly due to the high cost of medication and rehabilitation, families are struggling to afford the care needed to help loved ones, with many reports indicating that up to 80 per cent of drug users in Nigeria lack access to essential treatment.

”Families are bearing unbearable financial and emotional burdens due to the absence of rehabilitation facilities in the state. Patients are often referred to the Maiduguri Psychiatry Hospital at costs exceeding N100,000 monthly for treatment lasting at least six months.

”Many families cannot afford such expenses, resulting in untreated addiction, relapse and worsening mental health conditions among affected youths,” stated Mr Jakusko.

According to Mr Jakusko, Yobe has one of the highest rates of drug abuse in the North-East, with substance use increasingly conducted openly and becoming a normal thing.

He said that the crisis was directly linked to rising crime, mental health disorders and social instability, particularly among young people across the 17 local government areas.

Mr Jakusko said records from his office showed over 609 confirmed drug abusers requiring immediate rehabilitation, while nearly 1,000 others needed structured six-month treatment programmes statewide.

He noted that although the state government had shown commitment, the absence of a legally backed and funded agency had left interventions fragmented and unsustainable.

Mr Jakusko said Governor Mai Mala Buni had consistently raised concerns over drug abuse at meetings with stakeholders, traditional rulers and security agencies, including recently at the Machina Annual Cultural Festival 2026. He said the governor had established a committee on drug control, chaired by the attorney-general, as well as the office of the focal person on drug abuse control.

Mr Jakusko added that the state government had prepared a bill to establish a dedicated Drug Abuse Control Agency, now ready for legislative enactment.

He said key stakeholders met at the Yobe House of Assembly on January 7 to deliberate on the bill and chart pathways for the agency’s establishment.

The meeting involved chairmen of the House committees on Health, Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency and Yobe State Drugs Management Agency, alongside relevant officials.

Mr Jakusko expressed optimism that the proposed agency and rehabilitation centre would ease the burden on families and offer structured recovery pathways for victims of drug abuse across the state.

He called on the members of the state assembly, among other stakeholders, to expedite action towards establishing the agency and rehabilitation centre. 

(NAN)