Women protest sale of illicit drinks in Plateau
Women in the Kerang community in Mangu LGA of Plateau State staged a peaceful protest on Monday against the production and sale of killer illicit alcoholic drinks, especially “goskolo”, in the area. The protesters, chanting, “No to sale of goskolo”, described the substance as dangerous to human health. The women, in their hundreds, carried crates […]
Women protest sale of illicit drinks in Plateau
Women in the Kerang community in Mangu LGA of Plateau State staged a peaceful protest on Monday against the production and sale of killer illicit alcoholic drinks, especially “goskolo”, in the area.
The protesters, chanting, “No to sale of goskolo”, described the substance as dangerous to human health.
The women, in their hundreds, carried crates of the substance on their heads and called for action from the National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to take drastic action against the producers of the substance.
Speaking on the development, the National President of Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), Bulus Dabit, said the protest was peaceful and in furtherance of several meetings between the community and the people who produced the illicit product.
He said, “The protest was peaceful. Several meetings at community level with the producers of goskolo were held, telling them to stop, but they refused. The illicit drug is rapidly killing people because it affects and damages the liver. It is cheap. Those who cannot afford to buy normal beer easily buy and drink goskolo.
“It is rendering our youths unproductive; it weakens the human body, making it very difficult for our people to farm and engage in any reasonable activity. Goskolo is killing our men and making them sexually ineffective.
“The producers use acids to make goskolo, but they don’t even drink it because they know the dangers in it. They are systematically killing our youths; many youths and men have been killed.”
He urged NDLEA to take action and arrest and confiscate all illicit drugs and goskolo in the area, pleading that, “While we are protesting, we are also calling on the NDLEA to help us arrest those people and to also make them drink the illicit drug so that they can feel if it is good for human health.”