Some stakeholders in the North East have called for strict enforcement of laws criminalising use of Cannabis to enhance security and public safety.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that cultivation, recreational and medicinal use of Cannabis is illegal in the country.
It is also a criminal offence to be found in possession of the plant which is part of the illegal drug.
A cross section of the residents made call while responding to a NAN survey on the social menace of Cannabis in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe States,
They said that indiscriminate consumption of Cannabis was aiding vices, violence and crimes in the insurgency ravaged region.
The stakeholders said urgent and proactive measures were imperative to check the menace of Cannabis as well as drug abuse in the society.
To address the menace, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had scaled up surveillance, raid and sensitisation activities to rid the region of cannabis and narcotic substances.
In Yobe, Mr Aliyu Yahaya, the NDLEA Commander in the state, said that cannabis consumption aided violent crimes and destroyed societal norms.
According to him, cannabis otherwise known as Marijuana, is a psychotropic substance that intoxicates the users.
“Cannabis is a banned substance that stimulates the nervous system and makes whoever consumes it lose control.
“It also destroys vital organs such as the brain. Prolong consumption of cannabis can lead to mental disorder,” he said.
Yahaya reiterated commitment of the Agency towards reducing the supply and demand of Cannabis through arrest and prosecution of groups or individuals found in possession of the substances.
The commander said sensitisation of stakeholders against the use of cannabis was critical, adding that the command’s partnership with the police against illicit drugs was yielding positive result.
To this end, the NDLEA in Adamawa had seized 2,197 parcels of Cannabis and arrested 183 suspected drug peddlers in 2021.
Mosoti Mathias, Acting Assistant Commander, Drugs Demand Reduction Unit of the agency in the state, said the seizures and arrests were made in collaboration with security agencies and other stakeholders between January and December.
“In a single raid, we confiscated 2,197 compressed cannabis blocks in a motorised concrete mixer truck,” she said.
She attributed the crimes rate to indiscriminate consumption of Cannabis especially among the youths, adding that the substance affected brain, caused loss of memory, impaired concentration and result to poor mental health.
According to her, 14.3 million Nigerians are on drugs, while 10.6 per cent of the population including women use Cannabis.
The statistic, she said, was based on a survey by the Centre for Research and Information on substance Abuse (CRITA), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Buerue of Statistics.
Similaly; Mr Idris Abdullahi, Director, Social Welfare, Adamawa State Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development, observed that about 60 to 70 per cent of conflicts and vices in the region could be linked to drug abuse.
“The menace of drug abuse in our society is a source of great concern. Some married women, young ladies and prominent personalities are involved in this ugly act.
“It calls for collective action, and people should expose drug peddlers in their communities,” he said.
In the same vein; the Commissioner of Police in Borno, Mr Abdu Umar, restated commitment to the fight against drug abuse and criminalities in the state.
Umar said the command was determined to deal with criminal elements, protect lives and property as well as promote peace in the society.
He said the police had recently raided some black spots and criminal hideouts where youths engaged in various forms of nefarious activities ranging from drug abuse and other crimes in Maiduguri metropolis.
“Recenty we raided a joint behind Lagacy Housing Estate, after we recieved several reports of alleged activities of drug peddlers in the area.
“The intelligence-driven raid led to the arrest of some suspects. We have identified four other places and we are going after them,” he said.
According to him, the RRS is part of a community policing strategy to fight crimes through collaboration with relevant security agencies including the NDLEA, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Immigration Service among others.
He urged the people to provide credible information on criminal activities to the police.
However, Mr Misbahu Basirka, Chairman, Jigawa Human Rights Network, blamed the staggering data on consumption of Cannabis among youths to lack of family and societal values, peer group influence and unemployment.
He said that drug abuse has negative impact on health, development, peace and security in the country.
Basirka stressed need for collective action to address the menace, adding that it was the responsibility of the people to identify the source of the drug and those supplying it in the society.
The human rights activist maintained that the people should take the lead in identifying those patronising the drug, bring them closer and counsel them.
The government at all levels, he said, should provide job opportunities for the youths, and adopt strict penalties to discourage drug peddling.
“It is desirable for the state to provide rehabilitation centers to fast track rehab and vocational skills training for drug addicts.
“This is because if the rehabilitated addicts are left without anything to keep them engage, they would revert to their bad habits,” he said.
Basirka also advised against stigmatisation of such rehabilitated persons to avoid pushing them back to drug abuse.
According to him, it is important for families, friends and communities to show love and care as well as offer encouragement to the rehabilitated persons for them to feel secured and quickly reintegrate into the society.
Also, Ahmed Nasir, a resident of Dutse in Jigawa, stressed the need for an elaborate sensitisation campaign on the dangers of drug abuse in the society.
He said that that drug abuse exposed youths to vices inimical to the growth of the society and destroy their future.
“Drug abuse causes mental and psychological disorder,” he said.
Also, Mr Abubakar Al-Saddique, a lecturer with Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, who corroborated earlier opinion, said consumption of Marijuana and other hard drug led to crimes like kidnapping, robbery, rape, cultism, thuggery and political violence.
He alleged that some of the security agents were aiding and abating drug peddling in the society, adding that the trend must be reverse to facilitate successful campaign against drug abuse in the country.
For his part, Mr Katambi Ndurubula, Deputy Commander, NDLEA in Gombe State, called for establishment of more rehabilitation centres to take care of the increasing cases of drug addiction in the region.
He said that establishment of the rehabilitation centres through Public, Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements would go a long way in addressing the menace.
“Cannabis is one of the many substances of abuse that cut across all ages which has negative effects on the users.
“Its effects may take longer time before it manifest on individual and in the long run transform into adverse effects on the larger society and even the government,” he said.
