The National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has called on Yobe State House of Assembly to make legislation that would check the rising cases of Youths consuming Lizard dung, Zakami seeds, and petrol to get intoxicated.
The Commander of the Agency in Yobe, Mr Apeh Reuben, made this appeal during a chart with Daily Trust, Weekend, in Damaturu.
He said the substances are intoxicants being invented by the youths to escapes being arrested by the NDLEA operatives.
“But, they are local psychoactive concoctions, which have dangerous consequences on the users. Even though they are outside the conventionally control drugs, we appeal to the State House of Assembly to enact a law that would stop the consumption, so as to save the lives of our Youths”, he said.
Reuben noted that the trend which has become too rampant following successes in their operations, require such proactive step to protect the upcoming generations.
He said the agency has, within thirteen months, arrested 217 suspected peddlers and seized 1,165,456 kilograms of illicit substances.
“The 1,165,456 substances are made up of 1,056,662kg of Cannabis sativa and 109,827kg of psychotropic substances”, he said.
He explained that in the month of January 2018 alone, the agency had arrested 24 drugs traffickers and users including a woman, and seized a total of 120,205 kilograms of illicit substances.
The Commandant, who admitted a persistent growth rate of drugs abuse in Yobe said they have arrested 222 drugs users within thirteen months.
“We secured a total of 32 convictions, 16 were secured in January, 2018, while thirty cases are undergoing trails at the Federal High Court Damaturu. The situation here is worrisome as it cut across or transcends all social strata”, he added.
He called for maximum support and cooperation of government and non-governmental Organizations in dealing with the ugly trend, while assuring their commitment to act according to the law.
“Also, we adopted sensitization campaigns in secondary schools to curb the menace”, he added.
