Amid its combat in opposition to the use and trafficking of illicit medication, and the outcomes achieved, the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company is grappling with the growing and seemingly persistent use of unconventional substances amongst youths in Borno State, writes UTHMAN ABUBAKAR.
By way of Abdullahi Sardauna's lengthy service as an anti-narcotics officer, nothing appeared extra disappointing than the truth that he couldn’t invade the privateness of individuals's properties in the hunt for younger individuals who had been the very first thing within the morning to raise the lids of latrines to inhale the steamy stench who come from the depths to acquire some psychotropic satisfaction.
The Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company Act limits its actions to standard medication corresponding to cocaine, heroin, hashish sativa, cough syrup with codeine, ICE, tramadol, Rohypnol, diazepam, pentazocine and all different associated medication.
It doesn’t give him the ability to enter properties and fish out younger individuals who use unconventional substances, corresponding to stagnant water from the gutter (recognized amongst addicts as 'gutter juice'), lizard dung, a model of sentimental drink blended with meals spices or methylated spirits to get stoned. by.
Sardauna can’t determine and arrest juveniles who sniff the contents of probably the most widespread and trusted antibiotic capsules or permit their urine to ferment for about ten days after which drink or snort it.
The NDLEA official was much more damage by the helplessness of the company because it seemed sadly on the customers of such unconventional psychotropic substances, unable to manage them with the pressure of regulation.
In current occasions, the consumption of such psychotropic substances amongst Nigerian youths has unfold like a forest hearth, making a terrifying problem in Nigeria's anti-narcotic battle.
In February 2022, the Northeast Discussion board of Secretaries of State expressed concern over 2018 statistics from the United Nations Workplace on Medicine and Narcotics, which positioned the area at a drug prevalence of 13.6 %.
The then Chairman and Secretary of the Gombe Authorities Discussion board, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, stated: “The statistics are placing for Nigeria and the area.
“The best ranges of drug use are amongst folks aged 25 to 39; one in 5 individuals who have used medication endure from drug habit.
“Within the North, the North East has the best prevalence fee of 13.6 % (over three million folks), which is worrying and we should always be aware that that is in 2018. There isn’t any doubt that this determine might have elevated considerably.”
Involved about the issue, the Senate in October 2023 known as on the Federal Authorities to declare a state of emergency in response to the escalating disaster of drug and narcotics abuse in Nigeria.
Whereas deliberating on a movement titled “Instant intervention required to fight drug abuse in Nigeria” on the plenary session, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, expressed concern that some younger folks had resorted to drilling holes in soggy wells to inhale fumes.
Senate Vice President Jibrin Barau additionally underlined the significance of a rustic's youth in its future.
He stated: “The way forward for each nation lies in its youth and if there’s something that’s destroying your youth, it exhibits that your future is in peril.”
Nevertheless, to nip the rising menace within the bud, the company has chosen to diversify the drug battle from preventing with the weapon of the regulation to public consciousness campaigns in regards to the related well being dangers of utilizing not solely the same old banned substances, but in addition unconventional medication. those.
“We have now noticed that drug and substance abuse is growing quickly not solely within the North East however throughout the nation,” the Borno State Commander of the NDLEA, Ilyasu Mani, stated. Sunday PUNCH just lately on the sidelines of a youth sensitization program in opposition to substance abuse in Maiduguri.
“Extra troubling is the consumption of unconventional substances, a lot of them standard family edibles, by younger folks to attain psychotropic gratification,” he lamented.
Fermented urine, 'gutter juice'
Mani continued: “Some youths ferment their urine for 5 to 10 days, after which drink it or soak their handkerchiefs with it and scent it. Some drink gutter water, or dip their fingers to the underside of the gutter, scoop up the sand on the backside, tie it of their handkerchiefs, after which scent it; that is along with sniffing the recent steam of the latrine each morning.”
He additional revealed that youth throughout the nation had developed the behavior of consuming varied substances for psychotropic gratification, largely as a result of they had been accessible with out monetary value.
“Our regulation doesn’t cowl such substances. We are able to due to this fact solely launch consciousness campaigns to attract the eye of fogeys and governments to this scary pattern,” the senior anti-narcotics official stated.
“That is the one motion we are able to take now, however the issue with sensitization is that it’s not as coercive because the regulation, as a result of mother and father and younger folks have the liberty to answer sensitization or not; the regulation enforces compliance.”
As a part of what he sees as the answer, he stated Nigeria should first admit that it has a terrifying drawback that threatens the psychological well being and capabilities of the bigger part of society – the youth.
Sardauna, an Assistant Commander of Drug Demand Discount, on the Borno Command of the NDLEA, added: “This drawback is the misuse of not solely standard but in addition unconventional substances, most of that are our each day consumables, and that are due to this fact not prohibited by regulation.
“Along with sniffing the contents of an antibiotic capsule, some younger folks now put fragrance of their mouth, maintain their mouth closed for some time after which swallow the fragrance.”
Nevertheless it doesn't finish there. Our correspondent discovered that some youths in Maiduguri choose leaves from graveyards and eat them in several methods.
A supply within the NDLEA describes this as a really scary method to the Zambian state of affairs the place folks desecrated graves, dug up the stays, took out the bones, burned them to ashes, and snorted them as a psychotropic substance.
“The substance abuse in Maiduguri is worse than what is going on in Lagos. A while in the past a mom introduced her baby, who seemed mentally unstable, to us. Her baby had taken a combination of native meals. Even a psychiatrist couldn’t diagnose his insanity,” the supply stated.
Sardauna stated irrational conduct amongst youths who abuse medication and eat different unlawful substances was not new to the company.
“In our rehabilitation heart we just lately had an adolescent who commonly hit his head in opposition to the wall; we later came upon that he had not solely consumed a combination of hashish sativa and tramadol, but in addition fermented an unconventional combination of papaya leaves in water and beer.
“Nearly all of these unconventional substances are free; no youth buys the bathroom steam they sniff. The urine that they let ferment for days is theirs and is due to this fact free.”
He due to this fact known as for drug testing earlier than marriage, faculty admission and employment.
Gambo Abatcha, a youth from Guzamala Native Authorities Space of Borno State, who participated within the sensitization programme, stated the brand new harmful pattern may worsen the extent of insecurity within the area.
“Nearly all of Boko Haram fighters are youngsters of the poor and drug addicts. The brand new pattern of unconventional substance abuse will worsen our state of affairs in Borno State.
“I’ll sensitize our area people to this new pattern of abuse of such unconventional substances, the hazard of which we by no means knew,” he stated.
Abatcha additionally instructed our correspondent that substance abuse within the space just isn’t restricted to age.
“Our moms and housewives should now know {that a} male baby doesn’t have to succeed in the age of 18 earlier than changing into a drug addict. A mom ought to at all times take the time to search out out what her baby is doing if he hides within the room longer than vital, or if he steals her meals condiments,” he added.
Females too
Nevertheless, Hussaina Mohammed from Mobbar Native Authorities Space made a chilling revelation about ladies within the state.
“A rising inhabitants of ladies in Borno State are participating in drug abuse and that is alarming, though ladies in Kano State are extra infamous for it. Even at wedding ceremony and naming ceremonies, you can find bottles of sure manufacturers of syrup in many ladies's purses which can be misused as medication,” she stated.
“What’s much more disturbing is the brand new pattern of unconventional substance abuse. Now greater than ever, moms have to be vigilant about what their baby does in the bathroom. They need to fear about why their baby is hiding within the room alone, and in addition study to commonly take into consideration the quantity of meals spices they’ve utilized in cooking to look at whether or not a few of them have been stolen,” Mohammed added .
'Substance abuse a public well being drawback'
An adviser to the Senate Committee on Medicine and Narcotics, Kenneth Anetor, stated the marketing campaign in opposition to substance abuse ought to transfer from an ethical problem to a public well being drawback.
“The entire of Nigeria is experiencing the problem of substance abuse. The state of affairs within the Northeast is tougher and deserves extra consideration.
“We need to change the battle idea for drug and substance abuse from an ethical problem to a public well being drawback,” he stated.
Anetor, co-founder of the A New Factor Worldwide Basis, organizers of the youth sensitization program on substance abuse, defined that this system was vital to boost consciousness in regards to the well being dangers related to unconventional substance abuse, slightly than combating it, particularly as a result of the unconventional substances weren’t topic to any rules.
