I stopped taking drugs to build my future- Repentant drug addict

A 31-year old Kano based repentant drug addict has explained why he abandoned drug addiction, saying “I experienced a miserable life for many years as a drug addict.” Speaking in a special programme aired by a Kano based private FM station, Rahama Radio, the repentant addict, who preferred for anonymity, said he was introduced into […]

A 31-year old Kano based repentant drug addict has explained why he abandoned drug addiction, saying “I experienced a miserable life for many years as a drug addict.”

Speaking in a special programme aired by a Kano based private FM station, Rahama Radio, the repentant addict, who preferred for anonymity, said he was introduced into drugs by his friends.

“I have stopped taking drugs for seven years now because it ruined my life. I was working before I started taking drugs, but my employer disengaged me immediately after I developed the habit. I used to go to work after taking drugs and you know no responsible employer will tolerate that.

“I am 31 years old and not married. I attempted to marry a lady some years back, but her parents rejected me because of drug addiction. Let me tell one thing, the quantum of regret that is in drug addiction is much more than the enjoyment. Once you are into it, you always feel that you are the only person that is doing the right thing.”

He explained that a drug addict would give no respect to anybody including his parents, relations and elderly people around him, saying he would only respect and interact with drug addicts.

“The most unfortunate thing is that many women in the state, including married women, are into drugs. I know many couples who are drug addicts. I know  couple in this state who gave drugs to their baby just because he cried too much. The baby slept for two days before he could regain his conscious.

“I stopped taking drugs in order to build a bright future for myself. I am thankful to my best friend (a staff of Kano State Hisbah Board) and Malam Abdullahi Kachako who took me to a rehabilitation center where I spent two weeks undergoing rehabilitation and counseling. I abandoned drugs immediately after leaving the centre.

“I entirely become a different person in the society. I am now relating with good people. The reality is that when you are into drugs, your friends must also be drug addicts and when you stop it, you have to get another set of friends who are not into drugs,” he said.

He added that until government ban importation of drugs that were commonly used by the addicts, nothing tangible could be achieved in the ongoing fight against drug abuse in Kano state.

He suggested that government should put in place stringent measures that would stop importation of drugs into the country. 

“If government can distance the drugs from its dealers, their agents and the addicts, the chain of its business will break. The business has a very long chain which if not destroyed, it will continue to flourish.

“There are some people whose role in the business is to take drugs to the addicts. They are called agents. There is agent 1, agent 2, and agent 3 and up to agent 10 depending on the number of people a dealer involved in the business. Most of these agents are not drug addicts.

“As a drug addict, you will never meet a drug dealer no matter what. You can either get your order through agents or if you have phone number of the dealer you can call him directly,  but you will never see the dealer in your life. The reason why they give out their GSM number to addicts is for the purpose of placing their order because you will never see such drugs in open markets.

“I believe the dealers are hiding themselves because the business involves many people including the so-called elites. So, to shield those at the higher level of the hierarchy in the business, measures have to be taken to cover their identities,” he narrated.

He further suggested that government should also adopt modalities that would monitor activities of personnel of its low enforcement agencies especially the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and police to ensure compliance with laid down rules for drugs usage and circulation.

“This is because some personnel of government agencies sell drugs to addicts. They will confiscate the drugs from the addicts and either give same drugs to their girl friends or sell to other addicts.

“It happened to me sometimes. I was arrested with some bottles of codeine at Gandun Albasa by a policeman. I offered him N5,000 to release me but he refused. However, we were about to enter Kwalli police station then the policeman saw his girl friend who also happened to be my girl friend. We stopped and she asked him to give her codeine and the man gave her the bottles of the codeine he confiscated from me and the lady facilitated my release.