Speakers have identified drug abuse as major factors responsible for the incessant killings, armed robberies, rapes and other criminal activities.

The Speakers want the government, through the National Orientation Agency, religious organisations, families and school authorities to carry out serious enlightenment campaign against drug abuse.

According to the speakers, the war against drug abuse must be taken directly to the children and youths who are the future leaders or they would fail the country.

The speakers who gathered at the Police Officer’s Mess, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, include; officers of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Journalists, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Ministry of Education.

They spoke to students of various schools in Lagos during the commemoration of the International Day Against Drug and Illicit Trafficking organised by the Crime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria, CRAN.

In his welcome address, CRAN President, 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, CRAN, they have taken it as a modest support and contribution to the society to fight crimes through sensitisation of students and the public on drug abuse.

Olabule expressed appreciation for the stakeholders present at programme adding that it had become an annual ritual for crime reporters to hold the event in Commemoration of the international drug day.

He charged the anti-narcotic agency and other security agencies to do more of sensitisation than arrest and prosecution.

Speaking on the theme of the day’s activity,”The Evidence is Clear, Invest in Prevention, Assistant Commander, NDLEA Media and Advocacy Lagos Command, Mullum Musa urged the children to stay a way from drugs, and be good ambassadors and not to allow peer pressure to change them.

Musa said, Illicit drugs are the fuel to perpetrate crimes, adding that it would destroy their ambition, saying no one would be spared as anyone arrested would be prosecuted and sent to jail.

According to him, the Ministry of Education should take the issue of drugs seriously by carrying out massive campaigns against the use of illicit drugs.

He warned parents to look into the affairs of their children and watch them closely to know the type of friends that they Keep, warning that with the ways people, especially the young ones are doing drugs, the country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder ready to explode.

The agency spokesman, said as agency fighting drugs, the NDLEA was doing its best carrying sensitisation, rehabilitation of addict, and arresting and prosecuting suspects.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, warned the pupils and students not to start the use of drugs as the adverse effects would be too catastrophic and irredeemable.

According to Fayoade, many people have tasted it once and could not come out of it, as they become addicted and remain in drugs till they become problems to themselves, families and the society at large .

In his words, some tried it once and had heart or kidney failure, while others tried it and ended tragically in any form of accident, saying some tried it once and ended up killing their parents, siblings, girlfriend, boyfriends or any other person for no reasons, and when their eyes are cleared, they will start regretting their actions.

He said he is not telling fictions, but true life stories, because the police have them in cells, in custody and when asked why they killed their parents or anyone, they would tell that they did not know what happened or what transpired.

According to him, they would confess that it was after taking drugs, they could not comprehend what happened and how it happened, saying one of them who killed his father told the police that it was after his father killed him that he decided to kill him. You can imagine the havoc drugs are causing in the society.

The police commissioner, who spoke through Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Benjamin Hundeyin, warned on the consequences of drug abuse, saying, drugs and crimes go hand in hand.

He said there is no killing that happen without the suspect taking drugs, saying the terrorists you hear that kill people everyday take drugs to enable them perform their nefarious activities, so also the armed robbers and cultists.

According to him, they operate under the influence of alcohol and drugs, saying there is no reasonable person who will kill his or her fellow human being without the influence of drugs.

He advised students not to do drugs, saying Drugs do no good to you, but destroy you. I can see the beautiful and handsome faces with brighter futures, but drugs can waste the future if you take it. It will not be your potion.

” The consequences of drugs are enormous, outside from the fact that drugs can make a student useless, drugs also have legal punishments.

While your mates have graduated from the university, parents will be carrying drug addicts up and down from one psychiatric hospital to another.

If you are lucky,your parents may be wealthy enough to take you to rehabilitation centre,but it is too expensive and can wreck a family. Second, remember that there is outright death if you are not lucky.

Third, I told you of the legal implications; when you are caught, you will end up in jail. Don’t think that because you are a minor and you will be released.

We have juvenile Courts all over the country where you will be prosecuted and sentenced to jail if found guilty of drug abuse and cultosm.

Alright, the judge or the magistrate may give you suspended jail term, because you are a first time offender, but you are still a convict.

There is what we call police character certificate, incase you are traveling abroad for studies or anything,you will be required to get the certificate,but be rest assured that we have your dossier in our central unit, you will be denied of visa because of the report in our system.

” I am talking to you with my wealth of experience as I have personally interrogated suspects and found out that they started taking drugs because of peers pressure.

Don’t yield to peers pressure. When we were in schools, especially in the universities , people like me were seen as fools by some of our students, who saw themselves as big guys; today majority of them who joined cult groups and were doing drugs are now totally useless.

These were brilliant and promising children with great future ahead of them, but today, some of them come to people like me to beg for money. We that they saw as fools are now wise people, while they have become foolish and useless. I have told you that drugs and crimes go hands in hands.

Go back to your schools and homes and take the message on the danger of drugs to your colleagues and siblings. If you want to be useless on life,don’t take my advice,but it you want to be useful and fulfil that ambition of becoming a pilot, medical practitioner, lawyer , Nurse ,police officer or Journalist,run away from drugs.

A representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Giwa Abidemi said the government was doing well enough in schools to sensitise the students against illicit drug abuse.

He noted that there were various counselling units in schools and presence of security operatives to monitor the activities of students in that regards.

According to him, on the issue government curbing this drug abuse in various schools in Lagos State, I strongly believe that the state government has been doing a very big work concerning that.

As you can see, the Ministry of education has made it mandatory for students to do drug abuse related subjects, it is in the education curriculum.

Students are being taught how drug abuse affects academic performance and makes them have social issues like being violent.

The state government has mandated counselling units at various schools to educate and counsel students on the danger inherent in drug abuse and illicit drug intake.

There are several programs in this regards; the Anti- Substance Abuse (ASA) programme was launched by the state government to sensitise students on the danger of drug abuse.

It also collaborates with various ministries, like health, youths and sports, information, to educate students on the danger of drug intake, so the state government is not relenting in this regard as anybody would want to believe.

A repentant cultist and drug addict, Daniel Osita, warned on the dangers fof drug abuse, saying that cultism is the root cause of drug abuse, the necessary transformation in the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking is a significant challenge for any nation serious about successfully eradicating drug abuse and trafficking among young adults.

” The police have done very well to mount outreach programme to sensitise young Nigerians to reject cultism, violence, drug abuse, and other vices and other forms of deviant behaviours which are harmful to them, their families and the nation.
As a person, I know at firsthand that cultism, drugs or substance abuse and illicit trafficking are terrible things that do no good for any nation. I know as well that we should not limit our focus to fighting it; rather, we must mobilise all resources to crush it.

In spite of being one of the most-richly-endowed nations in human and material resources, Nigeria has not attained greatness. One of the major causes of this is located in cultism that has also bred drugs and substance abusers.

“Most of the businesses in this country today is transacted on the basis of whom you know or which sect/cult/club/organization/religion you belong to or represent.

Cultism is the main pillar of other deviant behaviours, as activities of cultists are found to be disruptive and damaging to human lives and career.

Various acts of violent assaults, brigandage, examination malpractices, drug abuse, rape, kidnapping and murder have been traced to secret cults in many institutions of higher learning. Many of the reports associated with secret cults are not mere fairy tales but destructive realities.

Chief Executive Officer, Jesus Care Reformation Centre for Drug Abuse and Misuse, Daniel Osita Collins said all Nigerians must join hands to rescue the young generation by reporting any crime around us to police.

Collins noted that all must be done to discourage those who are promoting drugs and chemical substance with their music, movies and their clubs.

He stated that the police force should carry the campaign to all secondary and primary schools to help educate the young ones.