By Godwin Tyonongu
The sale of illicit drugs otherwise known as hard drugs has become rampant in most part of Karu local government area, near the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
An independent investigation carried out by our reporter revealed that drugs peddlers carry about small quantities of drugs under the pretext that they were selling tablets to cure minor health problems such as headache, malaria, fever, body pains, stomach ache, etc.
Our reporter further gathered that the major consumers of the hard drugs were mostly youths or teenagers who had become addicted to the products due primarily to peer group pressure.
Findings revealed that the teenagers consume hard drugs such as charly, sukudie, cocaine, tramol, scorn, solution, codeine and Indian hemp that are drugs in the class of expectorants to seduce and intoxicate.
They are usually taken in jungles, valleys, around streams and, sometimes, uncompleted buildings in the area.
Recently, the police raided some notorious jungles around the old Orange market, Mararaba, which is part of the Karu local government area, arresting scores of hemp and drugs addicts.
A divisional police officer (DPO), New Nyanya, CSP John Emega, when contacted at the scene of the raid, told Blueprint that he was not in a position to speak to the press on the matter, but that the police spokesman at the Command could do that.
However, a senior police officer also said: “When arrests are made, the culprits are charged to court. If it is Indian hemp for instance, they are charged for making the environment hazardous to health; at night clubs, on-the-spot checks are sometimes carried out on people and when such drugs are found on them, the police charge them to court.
“My advice to the NDLEA is that the youths are so addicted that unless they are rehabilitated, it won’t be well with their livelihood. The NDLEA is trying, but they have to intensify their efforts.”
A health practitioner, Dr. Amos Akpa, while commenting on the matter lamented that some of the drugs like tramol have their health benefits but because of adulteration, they are being regarded as bad drugs, just because addicts take it without doctor’s prescription.
