A running battle with Marijuana in Adamawa

Across the room the other relatives were breathing a prayer. Joshua had been a member of his church, having started attending at the age of 10. He was a quiet sort of boy who minded his own business – was moody at times. At the age of 14 he started running around with the wrong […]

Across the room the other relatives were breathing a prayer. Joshua had been a member of his church, having started attending at the age of 10. He was a quiet sort of boy who minded his own business – was moody at times.

At the age of 14 he started running around with the wrong company.

It was at a dance party that one of his friends put a “joint” of marijuana in his hand and told him to drag on it. At first, he was scared and refused. But when he saw everyone else doing it – he tried it. The smoke swirled through his head. In five minutes he was dancing like a demon, forgetting his problems, as he rightly told this reporter, Jo- as he was fondly called by cell mates, even forgot about God.

The next day he wanted to try it again. This time it chased away the blues. That night he was deathly sick – head throbbing, he had to have another joint of “grass.” This was the first step toward a life of addiction.

Joshua and his co-smokers are now smoking one joint after another. Often five and Eight at a time. But even seven joints didn’t “bug” them anymore. And whenever he smokes it Joshua feels like a king. He was fearless, he had a feeling of superiority.

Just six months ago, these energetic youths were forced to go “mainline” and tea into the veins.. After his first mainline injection and tea. They began to mug, break into apartments, steal, hold up ladies  all for money to get drugs.

Both his mother and other relatives sat solemnly waiting. Joshua had been gone for three days without leaving a single clue to his whereabouts.

At this very moment the NDLEA operatives were investigating complaints of a terrible odor coming from the roof top of a tenement house at uncompleted buildings near Abattoir. Four officers nearly fainted at the sight. Joshua was lying unconscious.

He had been lying for several hours, he was half-naked with red eyes gluing. By all indications Joshua and his co-drugs addicts had overdose.

They were later arrested and remanded at the state command headquarters of the NDLEA where they they underwent rehabilitation process and for now Joshua and few lucky others have the course to say that, ’’ at the end of every sensual pleasure is a casket.’’

“As the drug pushers are invading the land. They want their drugs in every high school, in every city, town and village. For some this message is already too late – you are hooked,’’ observed reformed Joshua.

Reformation Efforts

Joshua was among the 473 drugs addicts rehabilitated in Adamawa state by the state command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) which has started yielding positive results.

As revealed by the state commander of the NDLEA  Alh.Hassan Abdullahi Zungeru those rehabilitated consisted of those referred by their parents, school authorities or abusers in drugs joints.

In addition, Zungeru said about thirty (30) addicts were placed on “Half-Way-Home’’ programme by the state’s special Assistance (SSA) programme being initiated  by the state government as according to him the total number of convictions was 125,while others are awaiting trial in Yola prison.

The Increasing trend recently, wears palpable tension and apprehension in Yola, the state capital and its environs on were enraged residents, including hemp smokers in Ngurore a suburb community blocked all the major highways leading to the state capital demanding the release of some youth leaders who were arrested by officials of the NDLEA.

Officers and men of the NDLEA have in the early hours of the day raided suspected enclaves of drug barons in the area during which five suspects were arrested while other suspects were seen running helter-skelter to evade arrest by the operatives.

The town  has been identified by the NDLEA as one  of the black spot and  notorious for the hawking and consumption of Indian hemp.

Ngurore, a very busy business settlement which is 40km from the state capital,  always runs amok particularly on Wednesday, which is the market day with youths engaged in illicit narcotics trade.

The anti-narcotics agency got a tip-off of the illicit activities and swang into action, as told by the state commandant of the NDLEA,Alh.Hassan Zungeru.

“We got a tip-off and mounted a three-day surveillance before swooping on [them] in a surprise raid. It was a professional raid,” Mr Zungeru said.

However when the suspected hemp smokers escaped by swimming across the stream, the anti-narcotic officials pursued them and nabbed a person alleged to be a victim of circumstance who was identified by residents as innocent youth leader.

Spurred by this action, some enraged youths in the town took to streets brandishing dangerous weapons protesting along Ngurore-Yola roads, while others burnt tyres and moving vehicles were not sparred by the rioters.

“When the youths in the community heard about it, they went on rampage, destroying all the houses and property of the vigilante group members,” said a witness, who did not want his name published.

Sensing the looming security challenges at hand, community leaders rushed to Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to assist.

Sources said that the DPO immediately contacted the state police command for further directives. He was in turn asked to use logic instead of force in quelling the crisis.

Addressing the restive youths, the DPO and the community leaders, noted that their aggression was human but that they should stop the destruction, pointing out that the protest could not add any  benefit to the sad development. “I am begging you to take it easy,” he said.

“Your grievances are okay as it shows the love existing among the people of the community.”

As later confirmed to this reporter  by the state Police Public relations officer, ASP Altine Daniel, the police boss also met with the anti-narcotic officials during which he secured the release of the alleged victim of the arrest.

The anti-drug agency in the state was propelled to act in the face of widespread and unwholesome sale of drugs in the open. Cannabis is being sold on tables and in the open in some areas within and outside the state capital.

Going by this unwholesome trend, the state NDLEA  command  felt challenged and moved to arrest the situation in which this illicit drug and its peddlers were beginning to have a field day operating in all open places.

In recent times, people are filled with stories of arrests of hemp dealers, yet the consumption of the drug competes with the popular sachets water particularly in some identified black-spots in Jimeta, Hong,Numan, Ngurore and Toungo among others.

While the  National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the state beats its chest for this, the rate of selling the substance has now became more alarming to the extent that Indian hemp is found everywhere, unarguably competing with cigarettes. To clear any doubts, one can easily peep into Fallujah or Jambutu motor parks all in the state capital.

It’s also alleged that even some title holders engage in the illicit trade, as it could be recalled that not long ago, the Village Head of Zha in Michika Local Government Area Mr Samuel Sunday, 45, and three of his subjects were arrested by the NDLEA for allegedly cultivating plants suspected to be Indian hemp.

The arrest of Sunday was made in a village called Zah in Michika for owning an Indian hemp plantation of about two hectares.The plantation also has groundnuts, beans and guinea-corn to decieve observers. They had since been prosecuted for the offences.

As observe by this reporter like in other parts of the country, gone are the days when consumption of marijuana- hemp was limited to street urchins and similar elements in the society, as it is now a fshion among students, athletes, factory workers and even professionals.

An insider told Sunday Trust that the disturbing trend in the high rare of hemp smoking, is that some security personnel use their offices and uniform to aid the illicit trade.’’