At least 120 school children were urged to shun drug abuse and other menace connected with it at the sensitisation programme by the Crime Reporters of Nigeria, CRAN to mark the 2024 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
This was the thrust of the event organised for members of the public held on Wednesday, June 26, at the Police Officers Mess, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
CRAN, NDLEA advocates stakeholders’ investment on International Day against Drug Abuse
While speaking on the theme of this year, “The Evidence is Clear, Invest in Prevention,” ACN Mallum Musa, the Media and Advocacy Officer, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Lagos Command, in his speech to the participants on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, school children from secondary schools were asked to stay away from drugs, be good ambassadors and not to allow peer pressure to change them.
According to Musa, illicit drugs fuel crimes, adding that it could destroy their future ambition.
In his speech, the NDLEA officer also enumerated the dangers, consequences of drug abuse and interventions available.
Musa highlighted thus, “Because all the crimes against the nation include terrorism, armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping, rape. No sensible human in the right senses will do it without something that will alter his mind. And that thing that alters his mind is the drug and that thing will make him go outside his normal human behaviour. That is what will make him carry arms and ammunition to collect people’s blood and money.
Speaking on rape, “Nobody will see a man and then say he will rape him, unless he is not in his mind. So also, all other crimes. In essence, illicit drug is the fuel that is used by those people that are participating in this crime, without the illicit drug, they cannot do it.”
Musa continued, “We can see our law enforcement agency carrying arms and ammunition on the road, but they can never rob you because they are in their right senses.
He argued, “But those people underworld are not in their normal senses and don’t even operate the way the security agencies operate. If they want to operate, they operate mostly in the night when there are no signs of humanity that can take notice of what they are doing.
His words, “This year’s theme for this program is the Evidence is clear. I have no need to tell you that drug is ravaging our society. Drug is everywhere. It’s in all the streets. Almost all the families are affected, either directly or indirectly, that is why they say the evidence is clear.
He spoke further on why it’s necessary to invest in prevention. “Because the people are already hooked, they are all receiving treatment and the treatment is very expensive. If you have an individual in your family who is a drug addict, just go to …Christ Against Drug Abuse, for rehabilitation, then get an estimate of how much you are going to pay for the treatment of that single person. That is why the theme is correctly selected that the evidence is clear. Invest in prevention.
He called for interventions from stakeholders such as the policy, Crime Reporters Association, NDLEA and the security agencies.
According to the anti-drug personnel, “We are to invest our strength now in prevention and prevention is like this. For those that are not involved, we are to tell them not to get involved, because the danger, when you try it, is beyond what you expect.
“For example, if you start taking drugs you are going to lose your home, you are going to lose your health. In that family, if care is not taken you are going to become an outcast. No one will come closer to you.
He hinted on likely mistreatment that could come fro the society, “Wherever you pass, they will say look at you, you are a drug user. Then you cannot be useful to yourself.
He also cautioned the students, “Employment, now they want to employ you, they will ask you to go for drug tests, If you are having evidence of drug in you, they will not employ you. So you can see the circumstances, the consequences are so enormous, that is why we want to tell you that that don’t even go there. Then, when it comes to your own career, most of you have ambition.
“Some want to be lawyers, doctors, reporters, journalists or whatever. You can never go there if you involve yourself in drugs, it will definitely drain you from your academic performance, because by the time you take drugs, when the teacher is teaching you in the class, you will not be concentrating. Your mind is at the joints. You want to finish the teaching in the class so that you go and join your colleague in the joint. And those in the joint, they don’t have future ambition. So you that have future ambition, we are telling you today that don’t go there. Just prevent yourself. Say no to drugs. And then stay clear of it. Know that the danger is too much and you cannot achieve your aim doing drugs.
He painted the picture of what any family hooked on drug is likely to lack, he explained, “If there is a family that is into drugs, that is, for example, the mother or the father, because drug now has no barrier. Both men and women are equally affected, so if there is anyone that continues to take drug between the two parents, definitely there would be problems, food will not be on the table if the father is involved, he will not be able to buy the food. He is always spending money on drugs and drugs are very expensive.
“If you go for, for example, Loud. There is one small cup that they use to measure, that cup is now N15,000, So if a father buys a cup of that for N15,000 and takes it without giving the wife and children, that N15,000, he was investing would buy food for their table, a good one, like a cup of rice, a cup of beans, fish, Maggi, whatever and everybody will eat. So you see where the consequences are and when there is trouble on the table, the children will be crying. That is what we call a broken home, because the mother will go out to source for food, the father will go out, and then the children will need to pay for their own. And if you do not train your child at home, definitely somebody will train them. And you don’t know whether the training will be positive or negative.
“That’s why, if you don’t talk to your child, somebody will talk to them. So this vocation is very key, hence he encouraged CRAN not to be daunted by what they do.
“They should continue to do their best and then go to more organisations, other schools that are willing so that we should have a sign of people that will take the message back to the classroom.
To the participating children at the event from Alpha Rehoboth Group of School, Egbeda, Ikeja Senior High, Ikeja Junior High, State Senior High, Army Cantonment Senior Secondary School and Army Children Senior High, Ikeja, Musa said to them, “You are here as an ambassador, you are listening to us. You have done what you have said. When you go back to the school, the school is a very big environment. Have a friend, let him be somebody of like mind with you. So that if he tells you that, I am not into drugs, you will also be saying, I am not into drugs, because drug is always being employed by their group. If in your group there is one single person who is into drugs, if care is not taken he will initiate all of you because of sweet talking and its dangerous.(italics ours)
“They will prepare the drugs at home if they are free, and when they come they will be proud and everybody will have a taste and by the time you test that drug, I am telling you, from that day on you are going to give your money to buy it. It’s not going to be your portion.
“You are ambitious, and you are going to attain it, but by ascertaining yourself, drug takes our money, it takes our life, in fact it ruins all ambitions.
CRAN: Police officer warns against drug, cultism
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, SP. Benjamin Hundeyin also advised the school children not to experiment with drugs, adding that “the moment you take drugs, you are no longer in control of your faculty.”
The Police spokesman warned them against committing crimes, getting involved in drug abuse and cultism.
He said those who have committed such crimes at a young age would be tried at juvenile courts and sent to juvenile homes.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer, Jesus Care Reformation Centre for Drug Abuse and Misuse, Daniel Osita Collins called on all Nigerians to join hands to rescue the young generation by reporting any crime around us to the Police.
“All must be done to discourage those who are promoting drugs and chemical substances with their music, movies and their clubs”, he advocated.
He also expressed worry that children are taking after the musicians as their role models.
CRAN urges government to do more
The President of CRAN, Lekan Olabulo advised the NDLEA and other security agencies to engage in public sensitisation in schools and communities as a way of fighting the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria.
According to him, “As members of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, we have taken it as our modest support and contribution to the society to fight crimes through our sensitisation of students and other members of the public on drug abuse.”
Welcoming participants, he stated, “it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 2024 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”.
“…a day set aside by the United Nations to fight drug abuse and its consequences all over the world.
“Many of us are already aware of many things. But of all these things, I don’t think there is any more as important as this day.
“The reason is simple. Investigations have shown that some of the atrocities that we have in the country, all over the world, have been attributed to the use of drugs, drug abuse, by the perpetrators of these enormous crimes.
“We are coming here to fight banditry, kidnapping, drug abuse, torture, and any form of social violence that you may know of. As members of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, we take it as our modest task and contribution to society to fight crime through our sensitisation of children and other members of the public on drug abuse. Drug abuse is not peculiar to any form of, to any particular group of people.
“Drug abuse is everywhere. It is very worrisome that in primary schools now, we have names like Colorado, Marijuana, Indian Hemp, and so on, and it is worrisome that these things are taking into society what we were not here in the past. The government has done enough through the NDLEA and other security agencies to fight the menace of drug abuse. But that is not enough, almost every day we hear that NDLEA is arresting people. That has not really given the impact of drug abuse. I want to advise NDLEA and other security agencies to engage in public sensitisation in schools, in communities, as a way of combating the menace of drug abuse in our dear country, Mr. Olabulo said.
