The Rivers State Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have launched a joint campaign against drug abuse in higher institutions.

This collaborative initiative aims to educate and protect students from the risks of drug abuse, ensuring a safe and peaceful environment for all. The organisers of the campaign noted that by working together, the PCRC, NDLEA, and police are taking a comprehensive approach to address the issue of drug abuse and promote a secure and healthy community.

The theme for this year’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, now in its second edition, is ‘On Kolos Not the Way’. Speaking at the event held at Rivers State University (RSU), the Deputy Zonal Commander of NDLEA (Drug Demand Reduction Zone N), Rosemary Ajuzie, underscored the educational aspect of the campaign, noting that the aim is to educate the public on the importance and benefits of a drug-free society.

Ajuzie said the timing of the scheduled hunger protest was being put into consideration to see how the war against drug abuse can help to mitigate a drug-influenced protest.

She said: “What we are going to achieve with this war against drug abuse is to educate the public on the importance and benefit of a drug-free society, and the public will also be educated on how to fight the menace of drug abuse in our society.

“Most of the people that take drugs behave irrationally and are prone to causing mayhem. Their hearts are hardened after taking these drugs, and the moment they take this substance, they have the capacity to do what they want. So, we are also using this opportunity to see how we can stop the usage of drugs from influencing the upcoming protest. We don’t want a violence-based protest.”

Chairman of the Rivers State PCRC, Voke Emore, highlighted the collaborative effort between the NDLEA and the police in achieving a drug-free society, emphasising that the primary goal of the campaign, which is to prevent students from indulging in illicit drug use, is to catch the students young and make them useful to the society.

Emore noted that the exercise became necessary due to the nationwide protest. He also urged students to refrain from participating in a violent-based protest.
He implored students who plan to join the protest to maintain civility at all times.

“We are partnering with NDLEA and the police on the war against drug abuse. We carried out this same exercise last year at Ignatius Ajuru University, and this time, we are carrying out the campaign at Rivers State University.”

“The main aim of this exercise is to make sure that we catch them young, to make sure that our children and students don’t indulge in the usage of these illicit drugs.

“And again, we want to implore our students who plan to join the anticipated protest not to be involved in violence. We can always protest over what we are going through under this harsh economy, but we are pleading that the protest should not be violence-based,” he added.