This brief examines how drug use, armed conflict and reintegration intersect in the North East of Nigeria, with a focus on former associates of Boko Haram factions and affiliates of community security actors. It examines indications of drug use during and after association with armed groups and considers how these factors may shape disengagement, rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes. The brief draws on survey data collected between 2021 and 2022 in Borno State with 3,274 respondents, alongside complementary data collected in Chad, Niger and Cameroon in 2022.
The findings suggest that awareness of drug use is widespread across conflict-affected communities in the Lake Chad Basin. While the data does not support assumptions of widespread addiction among former Boko Haram associates, the brief highlights concerns regarding drug use among some former and current affiliates of community security actors, and how this may affect reintegration, professionalization and support pathways. It underlines the need to incorporate substance-abuse screening into reintegration processes for former associates, while strengthening referral pathways and improving access to affordable prevention and treatment services for affected communities more broadly.
Citation: Francesca Batault, Moritz Hoene, Jente Althuis, Mohammed Bukar and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, "Understanding the Legacies of Drug Use in Armed Groups in the North East of Nigeria,” MEAC Research Brief, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026.