Local penetration of substance abuse: Societal institutions must react
As high profile trafficking of hard drugs is known to have become an estate fortified with broad networks, attention to how drugs are being abused locally may not have attracted much concern as expected. However, it is threatening that the rate of the abuse of substances locally has become so deep seated beyond the surface. The ravaging effect on the Nigerian society would no less be of grave impact if situations are allowed to wax gross.
An operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a raid on a relaxation centre, popularly called Garden, in Abuja led to the arrest of six persons selling drug cookies and noodles. A statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi giving details of the shady resort reads: “Following credible intelligence, operatives raided the Garden at Wuse Zone 5 behind Shoprite, where a lady Rachael Famiyesun, 29, who deals in drug cookies, was arrested along with her salesgirl, Stella Sunday, 20. Beside the cookies, they were also caught selling bottles of black currant drink popularly called Zobo prepared with cannabis. Another business operator in the garden, Moses Obi, 30, was also arrested with his salesgirl, Aisha Abdulrahman, 19, for selling noodles prepared with cannabis. A barman, Ahonye Jonah, 31, who works with the owner of the garden, was equally arrested while one of their customers, 38-year-old Ngozi Justina Emelogu was also picked during the raid on Wednesday, January 19. Two days earlier, officers of the FCT command of the Agency equally raided the Zuba Yam Market, where a drug dealer, Haruna Hassan, was arrested with 19.3kg cannabis.”
In its review report for 2021, the NDLEA, Enugu command had lamented the rising profile of the production and consumption of locally produced substances. Giving details of the operations on the agency’s achievement in 2021, the Enugu state commander of the Agency, Com. Anietie Bassey Idim, CN, expressed worries over the use of methamphetamines “mkpuru-miri” drug in Enugu, raising concern over its local production within the state. According to him, the crystal meth drugs were worse than any of the category ‘A’ drugs. He was quoted: “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Enugu command in its determination to achieve a drug free Enugu state, has through her sources and with the collaboration of other security agencies made tremendous achievement in the year 2021. Why the Agency is particularly worried about Methamphetamines (crystal meth or “mkpulu-miri”) products are worse than any of thee category “A” drugs and their being manufactured locally make them readily available for abuse by our teeming youth population.Methamphetamine (crystal meth or “mkpulu-miri”) dependent persons have slimmer chances of recovering compared to user of other drugs. Clandestine laboratory also poses grave threat to the locality of its operation, as it pollutes sources of water and even air. It is therefore, not enough that one does not abuse the deadly substance, but one must ensure that he/she does not live in places where this clandestine activity goes on. In the year under review, the State Command made the following arrests and seizure: 114 suspects, prosecuted 93 suspects, 43 case pending in court. While the number of drugs seized were, cannabis sativa, 1,328.174kg, cocaine, 222.67grm, methamphetamine, 592.11, Psychotropic substances, 29.920kg, tramadol, 258.07 and rohypnol, 13 capsule.”
Last November, 2021, the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen Buba Marwa, had mentioned that no less than 15 million Nigerians indulge in the consumption of illicit drugs. Marwa who made the disclosure in an interactive session with Local Government Chairmen in Plateau on Wednesday 17, November, 2021 in Jos, had decried the surge in the distribution and consumption of illicit substances, adding that one out of seven Nigerians indulged in drug abuse. According to him, the surge in drug abuse had destroyed many youths and communities.
“As I speak to you, 15 million Nigerians use illicit drugs; one out of seven Nigerians take hard substances. There is no community in Nigeria that is exempted from drug abuse and this is why we keep having security challenges here and there. Drug propels a lot of negative actions particularly among young people; it is destroying our youths and even the communities,” Marwa had said.
The inference from reports of incidences both on the profile of local network of drugs and the upstream chains of the estate of drug trafficking have revealed traces of threats to the Nigerian society. While the local chains of the production, sales and consumption expand, the profile of heavy trafficking of drugs has continued to wax gross despite operational clampdown.
On Sunday, it was reported that attempts by drug traffickers to export 1.53 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden inside hair cream to London; 880 grams concealed inside synthetic hair to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and three grams of cocaine and five grams of cannabis to Cyprus, packed in locally-made shoes through two major courier companies in Lagos, have been foiled by narcotic officers attached to the firms. In Edo State, operatives on Tuesday, January 18, intercepted a Toyota Camry car with plate number FKJ 897 DG (LAGOS) loaded with 360.4kg of cannabis sativa( igbo) heading to Abuja and arrested the driver, Nurudeen Subaru, 42, in Auchi, Etsako West council. The following day, the Edo command officers also evacuated 111kg of cannabis stored in a bush at Iruekpen, Esan West LGA. Also, 276 compressed blocks of the same substance weighing 248.4kg were recovered from one Austin Okongwu (a.k.a Igwe), 45, at Agenebode, Etsako East, while moving the drug in a Lexus saloon car with number plates ABC 583 MJ (ABUJA). Also on Wednesday, January 19, a raid on a drug joint in the Edo State capital, Benin, led to the arrest of three drug dealers — Kelly Ogbebor, 38; Daniel Oviawe, 35, and Kelly Kenmakonam, 29 — with different quantities of cocaine and heroin. In Plateau state, attempt by 29-year-old Ifeoma Godwin Sade, wife of a drug dealer, Ifeanyi Onyeasi, 34, to swallow 12grams of cocaine found in their house at Agingi, Rukuba road, Jos, during an arrest operation, was scuttled by operatives who retrieved the drug from her throat on Sunday, January 16.
Also recovered from them was N234,650. Different quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine and tramadol were seized from two suspects; Aliyu Abdullahi and Ishaya Emmanuel, when a commercial bus with number plates GME711YX bringing them from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State, was intercepted along Abuja road by officers of the Plateau State command on Wednesday, January 19.
In Adamawa same Wednesday, the long arm of the law eventually caught with a notorious drug dealer, Adamu Musa, who has been on the run for nine months. His 31-year-old elder sister, Mrs. Hannatu Sini, had been arrested on April 16, 2021, at Gombi Local Government Area with 14.400kg of cannabis sativa. She admitted keeping the exhibit for her younger brother, Adamu Musa, who was subsequently placed on the wanted list of the command. This is even as an ex-convict, Mrs. Modinat Lawal, was arrested in Kano on Wednesday, January 19, with 22kg cannabis sativa she brought into Nigeria from Benin Republic. She had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and jailed for the same offence. The Ogun State-born trafficker claimed then that her name was Bola.
The cloggings of the dealings in hard drugs have drawn offshooting wings and extensive architecture growing so large that the bond of the clusters are yielding unfavourable conditions with threats to the Country. The profile of the local stream of the estate has seen the consumption of substances becoming so rife among the population, particularly among the youth and the adolescents now catching up into the act increasingly. The reflective deformities of the social characters that stem out from these, only pose grave threats to the human capacity profile of the Country, as addiction to drugs is known to be of potent inhibition to productivity. This is, particularly, worse when larger percentage of the teeming young people are gradually degenerating into abuse of substances. The resultant implication would only defeat the benefits of a teeming youth population, who rather than becoming of productive value, degenerate into burden on the societal fabrics. The need for the Government to facilitate concerted efforts with all relevant societal institutions, including sociocultural organisations, civil society groups, religious and other structural formations to develop a coordinated system of robust advocacy with strong reinforcement to change the narratives of the expanding wings of the local stream of the network of substances and its abuse has become an alarming call for all.
