From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has said it has arrested about 46 drug barons in the last three years.
The agency also said about 50,901 suspects were arrested with 9,034 convicted, and 7561 tons of drugs seized in the period under review.
Its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stated this yesterday at a Behavioural Pattern Initiative seminar organised by the Advocacy for Positive Behavioural Pattern Initiative (APBPI) in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board.
The seminar, was held at the Government Secondary School Gwarimpa, Life Camp, Abuja, and had in attendance hundreds of students and representatives from government organisation.
Babafemi, represented by the Deputy Commander, Narcotics and Assistant Director, Media and Advocacy, Chidi Ndukwu, observed that there is nexus between drug abuse, armed robbery, terrorism and kidnapping.
According to him, a recent survey indicated that people of ages between 15–64 are mostly involved in drug abuse especially youths between ages 25–39.
He said the agency in its cause of work had observed remnants of drugs in insurgents camps after raid operations and security clearances, adding that there have been cases of withdrawal symptoms shown by suspects in detention facilities.
“We must understand that nobody wakes up any day and decides to kidnap 300 students or kill 50 people. There is always an underlying factor or factors, one of which is drug abuse.
“Our response has been to reduce demand for drugs and supply. Under supply reduction in 38 months of operation under Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), 50,901 suspects have been arrested including 46 Barons. 9,034 convicted, 7561 tons of drugs seized and 1,057 hectares of farms destroyed”, he stated.
On her part, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Leadership and Citizenship, Rinsola Abiola, urged schools to set up mechanisms to address incidents of bullying and other related negative attitudes in schools.
She said the call became necessary following the recent incident of bullying recorded in a school in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The presidential adviser said bullying is not a generally positive development and should be discouraged and condemned.
“It is very important that schools set up mechanisms to properly address these issues before they become a public matter where Nigerians will start weighing in directly.
“As Nigerians and parents, when it comes to young people, we have to be very sensitive and mindful in how we approach those issues,” she said.
Abiola further stated that the incident is a wake-up call for the management of schools across the country to be mindful of what transpires between children and students and see that there is prompt intervention when it comes to young people displaying negative behaviours.
Commenting on drug abuse, she noted that it is a scourge bedevilling the youth population, and recent studies showed that young people from 25 years to 39 years are very severely impacted by drug use.
“We are starting to see high incidents of drug use among young people between 16 and 24. It is very important that we make young people understand that whatever benefit they think they derive from drug abuse is very short-lived and that there are serious health consequences attached to abusing drugs.
“The price of drug abuse is very high; it is something you pay with your entire life, with your well-being and body, and we have to deter our young people from drug abuse as much as possible,” she added.
Chairman and Director, Campaign Team, Advocacy for Positive Behavioural Pattern Initiative, Mann Bamidele,said they took their campaign to schools and found out that students of the Government Secondary School Gwarimpa, Lifecamp, have this lackadaisical attitude towards their academics, and this is borne out of their behavioural pattern.
“We took this campaign to this school because we did our findings and we found out that in some of these schools, the students over here have this lackadaisical attitude towards their academics, and this is borne out of their behavioural pattern.
“And we found out that over the years, from the statistics that we have with us, there has been some form of violence among the students, especially when it is towards the end of the term. You see them engaging in one form of fighting or another.
“So, we brought this advocacy campaign here in order to tell them why they need to stop the violence and change it into cooperation so that, with togetherness, they can get to higher ground in life.”
The Principal of Government Secondary School Gwarimpa, Lifecamp, Akerele Irene, who was represented by the Vice Principal Administration, Bilikisu Ibrahim, said that in society today, especially among the younger generation, it is imperative to foster behavioural patterns in order to safeguard children.