The Senate has urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Human Rights Commission to work jointly on refining Nigeria’s anti-drug laws to create a more balanced and rights-focused approach to drug control.
The call comes months after President Bola Tinubu withheld assent to the amended NDLEA Act, which lawmakers passed in June 2025. The President cited a conflict with Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution as his reason for returning the bill.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, represented by his Chief of Staff, Charles Luri-Bala, made the appeal at a technical workshop convened by the NHRC alongside civil society organisations and human rights advocates. The meeting focused on developing legislative strategies that reduce the harm associated with drug use while ensuring respect for human rights.
Bamidele said Nigeria needs to move away from punitive drug policies that deepen stigma and instead embrace a system that emphasises treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration. He encouraged stakeholders to provide recommendations that would help lawmakers refine the stalled amendment bill once the constitutional conflict is addressed.
He explained that one of the contentious issues in the rejected amendment was a proposal to allow the NDLEA retain part of the proceeds recovered from drug-related crimes. Current law mandates that all forfeited assets be paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account, a structure meant to ensure transparency.
