Mixed reactions trail increasing cases of drug abuse in Kano

The recent discovery by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on the increasing cases of drug abuse among youth, married and unmarried women in Kano state has remained a source of concern to many residents in the state, Kano Chronicle, observed. The discovery is a paradigm shift in drug culture which was originally associated […]

The recent discovery by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on the increasing cases of drug abuse among youth, married and unmarried women in Kano state has remained a source of concern to many residents in the state, Kano Chronicle, observed.

The discovery is a paradigm shift in drug culture which was originally associated with youth. It was gathered that married and unmarried in the state have now engaged in taking drugs and other intoxicant substances for reasons best known to them.

Our reporters learnt that while unmarried women normally patronise joints where drugs are being sold especially in Sabon-Gari area, the married women take the substances to their matrimonial homes for consumption, a situation that makes it difficult for the NDELA operatives to arrest them.

Kano Chronicle findings revealed that many factors have contributed to the involvement of women into drug abuse in the state. Some of the factors include influence of peer groups; poverty; marriage challenges such as forced marriage, broken homes and maltreatment of wives by their husbands and or children by their parents, lack of parental care among others.

Further findings indicated that the common substances being abused by youth and women in Kano state include cough syrups, marijuana, diacepam tablets and tramadole among others. It was learnt that out of every 100 arrest made by the NDLEA in the state, five would be women.

According to the NDLEA’s records, from January to June this year, 30 women who were involved in drug abuse were counseled by the state command of the ant-drug agency. The women were arrested at various drug abuse joints within Sabon-Gari area in the state metropolis.

Anas Ibrahim popularly known as Mai Kachala is a drug addict and shared his experience with Kano Chronicle reporters.

He said, “I got myself involved in drug abuse when I was a driver’s assistant (Conductor). I realised that my boss was not sleeping during the night hours. So, I once asked him why was he not sleeping in the night and he then told me that if I start smoking Cigarette, I will not sleep.

“I accepted his advice and started smoking. And from cigarette, I graduated to other drugs. Taking illicit drugs can even give me the ability to eat more food and whenever I take them, I will feel cool, not disturb, and I will concentrate on my work.”

Some residents interviewed by Kano Chronicle expressed their opinions about the ugly trend.

Mallam Zakari Usman, a resident of Gyadi-Gyadi said, “Some youth have made drugs part of their life and anytime they take it they start behaving abnormal. And, the worst part of the whole issue is that when they don’t have money to buy the drug, they will simply steal from either their parents or any other persons. Taking hard drugs has destroyed many youth and made them useless in the society.

“Unemployment is the major factor that is dragging our youth into drug abuse. It is obvious because an idle man is a devil’s workshop. Some youth believe that taking drugs can help them forget their problems.

For Victor Osadebe, a resident of Sabon-Gari area in the state metropolis, drug abuse among youth was largely caused by illiteracy and poverty.

He said, “When the youth are unemployed and poor, they will start thinking of bad things including taking of drugs. Illiteracy is also contributing to the ugly trend because when the youth are not educated about the consequences of drugs, they will ignorantly engage into it without thinking about its negative effects’.

Contrary to Osadebe’s opinion, Mallam Abdullahi Umar identified bad governance as reason why some youth and women are indulging into drug abuse.

He said, “If government is up and doing in discharging its responsibilities such as job creation, free education and many more, the youth will be pushed into so many bad things including drug abuse. When there is good governance, the youth will be engage, thereby reducing the rate of drug intake among them.”

Ibrahim Dayyabu also attributed the problem to unemployment, saying “Sincerely, the big causative agent of drug abuse among youth and women is unemployment. Government should therefore create more job opportunities for our youth”.

Alhaji Yahuza Yusuf said most of the young people who had engaged in drug abuse were jobless, saying if they could be engaged in doing something, they could be rehabilitated and become useful to the society.

Malama Habiba Musa told Kano Chronicle that the major causes of taking illicit drugs among housewives was frustrations on the part of their partners

“For the house wives, it mostly begins from frustration largely by their husbands. They took drugs in order to cool themselves from the frustration. But from the ladies part, they start taking drugs as a result of friends’ influence’’ she said.

On her part, Zainab Yakubu also said drug abuse among housewives was largely caused by parents’ attitudes towards their children by showing less concern to their upbringing especially girls.

“Honestly, it started from the carelessness shown by the parents to teach their children the effect of consuming illicit drugs,” she concluded.

However, according to NDLEA’s state commandant, Alhaji Hamza Umar, the agency was up and doing to toward addressing the current trend of drug abuse culture among women and youth in the state.

Umar said the major challenge confronting the agency in its war against drug abuse was the proliferation of illegal medicine shops and chemists where the substances could be obtained easily.

The commandant said the agency had taken campaign against drug abuse to schools, markets and other public places across the state. 

He said, “In view of this effort, communities have started forming unions in their respective areas. The main function of the unions is to embark on rigorous campaign against drug abuse among youth and women.”

He also said the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission had also established a drug marshal unit in the commission for the purpose of curtailing drug abuse among youth and women.