Nigeria is a significant hub for the trafficking of narcotic drugs and cocaine, the latest data analysis report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed.

The UNODC’s Global Report on Cocaine 2023 was published in March. According to this report, Nigerians emerged as the most prominent among African nationalities actively involved in illicit substance shipments globally.

“The analysis suggests that the role of Nigerians is relatively important at mid-level and dealer level,” the report states.

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The report also reveals that “Nigerian traffickers, and to some extent the territory of Nigeria, appear to play a significant role in the consolidation of cocaine entering the sub-region and distribution to other countries, both within the sub-region and beyond”.

In its weekly research report, SBM Intelligence, a West African economic intelligence research group, stated that Nigeria’s current position as a major cocaine transit point could have unfavourable effects on the country.

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“…in the Global Report on Cocaine, the UNODC listed the country as a major trafficking hub in Africa through which suppliers from South America move their products to market in Europe, and increasingly, the Middle East. This could have the unwanted effect of cementing long-held perception of the country being a narco-state,” SBM Intelligence stated on Thursday.