CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
The Nigerian Police and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency seemed to be in dilemma on what to do with the youths who were destroying their future by resorting to taking all sorts of banned illicit drugs on daily basis.
Last week, under the overhead bridge at Ikeja, a young lady was found lying almost naked after she reportedly took hard drug, became unconscious, fell on the road and slept off. It took the intervention of people around to carry her off the road and allowed her to have her sleep for several hours due to the drugs she took.
Same last week, about 15 young boys were found sleeping in front of a house at Edodaja Street in Ejigbo area of Lagos at about 10am when others were at their places of work but they chose to take the drugs and slept off.
At Ilepo area of Abule Egba, Lagos, the Divisional Police Officer, identified as CSP Adeola had to declare war on the young boys who have taken to drugs because after taking the drugs, they used the influence to commit various crimes such as robbery, rape, burglary etc.
P.M.EXPRESS reported that many of the suspects were arrested including some drug dealers and charged to court. But that did not stop the illicit business from thriving as those boys who were released from custody eventually went back to drugs.
At Ile Ewe bus stop of Egbe in Ikotun, Mba Street in Ajegunle in Apapa, Agege, Lagos Island, Yaba, Mushin and other areas, the same cases of youths taken to hard drugs were reported to the detriment of their jobs and careers.
P.M.EXPRESS tried to find out what was the motivating factor and how they get money to buy those drugs. Some of the victims who confessed said that they did not need big money to buy drugs like cocaine or heroine but had alternatives that served the same purposes.
They mentioned tramadol tablets, scunk, marijuana, snuff, adhesive gum, cough syrups and some tablets as their close substitutes which they described as being more active and motivated them to act.
One of the victims simply known as Benson said it all started from the street to cult groups, drugs and finally to causing violence and crimes. Benson said when one became addicted to those drugs, it was difficult to leave and it moved such victim to become lazy and violent. He said he had tried to stop taking those drugs but could not due to commitment and would not know what to do next.
The trend was of serious concern to a social commentator and publisher, Abionanojie Reuben who said that a set of youths were being wasted and it will have serious consequences in the society in the near future. Reuben said there will be increase in crime and the labour market will be seriously affected because ‘junkies’ do not work and lack strength because they have been destroyed by drugs.
He noted that the set of victims affected were mainly between 14 to 30 years and projected that in the next 10 and 15 years, those victims would have become useless and liabilities to the society. He suggested that the government should do some thing now otherwise in the next 10 years or more, majority of the youths who had become addicted to drugs will be a burden to the society and the economy.
The Acting Commissioner of Police in Lagos, CP Imohimi Edgal shared similar view with Reuben and have since declared war on drugs in Lagos State. He noted that drugs had destroyed many homes, families and youths and had consequent effects on most of the crimes committed in the society.
He had directed the Area Commanders and DPOs to fish out both the dealers and users in their areas and prosecute them.
Edgal went further to establish a partnership with NDLEA in the fight against illicit drugs and they agreed to collaborate in order to ensure that dealing on drugs was reduced to the barest minimum.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the war seemed to be on pages of the newspapers as most of the known joints were still operating with their clients strongly protected. It was also gathered that the Police and NDLEA had been engaged in a secret war as there seemed to be mistrust among the two institutions and also a supremacy battle.