The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Friday criminals in countries in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions generate an estimated $400 billion annually from drug trafficking.
The UNODC Country Representative for Nigeria, Ousmane Touré, disclosed this at the end of a long-week meeting of the 5th Lake Chad Governors’ Forum in Maiduguri.
He said the large sum being generated in countries in the region was fueling activities, including arms smuggling, human trafficking, and money laundering.
Touré said the criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking were increasingly diversifying their operations and establishing complex value chains that link the drug trade with other forms of transnational organised crime.
The envoy decried the exploitation of natural resources such as gold in conflict zones.
The UNODC official stressed the need for regional cooperation, stronger border control measures, and institutional reforms to combat corruption in the region.
