The Director-General of Kaduna State Bureau for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (KADBUSA), Dr. Joseph Maigari has linked acts of violence to increasing use of drugs, concluding that 10% of the people in Kaduna state were enmeshed in drug-related problems.
While on an advocacy visit to the Agwatyap, Mr Dominic Gambo Yahaya at his palace in Zango Kataf on Thursday, Dr. Joseph Maigari said a survey by his agency revealed that 10% of Kaduna state citizens have drug abuse problems.
Maigari disclosed that Nigeria has a drug abuse prevalence of 14.4%, which prompted the Kaduna state government to carry out sensitisation across the state to ensure reduction of demand and supply of illicit drugs by youth and women and the reduction in drug abuse.
“We are here because of the concern of Kaduna state Governor about peoples behaviour with the effect of drugs in the Atyap Chiefdom. There is a linkage between drug abuse and violence. These drugs include cocaine, codeine, tramadol, beer, ketanin, rolphnol, diazepham, cannabis, ecstasy,” he said
According to him, “drug abuse is anything you take that changes your behaviour and make you bold. Sensitisation of the danger of drug abuse can lead to behavioural change, better productivity of our youth and women for a better society. This sensitisation will go round the state to prevent new cases.”
“Kaduna state government is funding four rehabilitation centers in Kaduna state, two more to be added, to prevent new cases and treat existing cases. This will reduce banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling to enable people to live in peace and security.”
However, Agwatyap said in his remarks, that youths indulge in drugs due to lack of jobs.
“Drug abuse contributes to insecurity in the state and country. We are calling for improved presence and enforcement by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to proactively tackle drug abuse,” he said.
“Insecurity can be heightened if the youth are exposed to drugs While on drugs they can do anything no matter how ugly. This fight against drug abuse, in the long run, will help to reduce social vices, violence, and crises. The youth when on drugs listen to nobody. We should approach the fight from both demand and supply sides because if supply is addressed, people can go elsewhere to take it.”
“You can take 3 local governments together so that if someone cannot get it in Kaura, in Jaba in Zonkwa, the consumption will gradually reduce. There are some people who have no job and are in despair and despondency, when they get introduced to drugs and they achieve confidence which pushes back their despondency. So, creation of jobs to engage the youth is highly necessary.”
“In 2017 when we received information that drug consumption is becoming alarming, we tried to tackle the problem of drug abuse in the supply side by meeting with over 300 shop owners in the chiefdom. We made it clear that the drugs they are selling are destroying our youth so we want them to stop and anybody with the drug should dispose of it or we will prosecute them or they should leave the chiefdom.”
“We set up committees in every district to ensure that our directives are followed. We went ahead and monitor them and we also ensure that the drugs are not available,” he said.
The monarch said although they noticed a decline in supply and consumption because there was no shop where you could find it in his domain, but such had not stopped drug consumption because people go to Zonkwa, Manchok, Kafanchan to buy and retail individually to the consumers in their pockets.
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