The spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Ben Hundeyin, has lamented the high prevalence of substance abuse, asserting that the music industry has glamourised drug use over the years.

He made this assertion on Thursday at the 2023 Press Week Lecture/Symposium, organised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in partnership with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Lagos chapel.

While urging stakeholders and the elderly to join the fight against drugs, he noted, “The music industry is not helping us in any way; they glamorise drugs. Not all that glitters is gold.”

He alleged that many superstars are involved in drug abuse and refuse to visit hospitals for proper care when they have health challenges but rather invite a nurse to treat them at home because they use drugs.

Reinforcing his discovery, he stated, “Going to the hospital will expose that, and they don’t want people to know.”

He expressed that behind most crimes in society is substance abuse or drug addiction among youths, pointing out that in 90 per cent of the cases, the criminals blame their actions on drugs.

Mr Hundeyin stated, “If drugs actually reduce in the society, crimes too will reduce. Ordinarily, people would not o and commit crimes until they use drugs.”

Proffering a solution, Mr Hundeyin stated that the media and other stakeholders have a role in portraying the ills and dangers of drugs in society.

He grieved that elders who should be moral custodians had been arrested several times for selling illicit drugs.

“It is painful when elderly parents come to beg for their children arrested for drugs. Encouraging drug use will not help anyone. Elderly ones should be our mouthpiece. It is bad that elderly people are making this problem worse. We need to expose this,” Mr Hundeyin said.