The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Rivers State Command, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Police Force, has launched a sensitisation campaign against drug abuse at the University of Port Harcourt.

The campaign aimed to raise awareness and discourage drug abuse among young people, noting that the menace has claimed numerous lives.

Speaking at the event, Voke Emore, Chairman of PCRC in Rivers State, emphasised the importance of abstinence, calling on all stakeholders to join forces in the collective fight against drug abuse.

“The PCRC has done this for two years now, and this is the third year,” he said. “We did it in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State University, and our idea is to drive home the message of the War Against Drug Abuse, where our young people, and even now some old persons, abuse drugs, we have a lot of deaths, and it needs to stop.”

Emore highlighted the devastating consequences of drug abuse, including increased insecurity and crime. “One of the causes of insecurity and the devices the enemy uses against young people is that they carry weapons and commit crimes because of drug abuse,” he said. “We want to say no to drug abuse. We have to put our hands on the desk to keep speaking against drug abuse.”

The Assistant State Commander of the Drug Demand Reduction Unit, NDLEA, Rivers State Command, Grace Adeniyi, called for stronger community and institutional collaboration in the fight against drug abuse, especially among young people in universities.

She said, “Drug abuse is a problem that is ravaging everyone. There are stages where they should be able to say no to drug abuse and yes to life.”

Adeniyi emphasised the importance of prevention, noting that “prevention is better than cure.” She urged students to make conscious decisions to avoid substance use and resist peer pressure, adding that “every other vice is committed under the influence of drug abuse.”

Adeniyi also highlighted the role of stakeholders in the fight against drug abuse. “We normally go to community leaders so they can join in fighting the drug abuse and trafficking,” she said. “If stakeholders join hands to say we want to fight this drug abuse, if we go for arrest, they will join us to pick fish out of the people trafficking drugs. They also join us in sensitisation.”

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, represented by the Divisional Police Officer of Choba Division, SP Ahmed Doma, highlighted the devastating consequences of drug abuse, including increased risk of chronic diseases and permanent damage to brain function.

CP Adepoju urged students and members of the public to shun substance abuse, reaffirming the Rivers State Police Command’s commitment to sustaining a drug-free society through enforcement and continuous public education.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Owunari Georgewill, emphasised that the university remains a citadel of enlightenment and moral discipline. “Our future cannot be built on the abuse of substances,” he said.

“Today, we form a formidable coalition against drug abuse. The War Against Drug Abuse is not a seasonal one, but a continuous campaign. We want to build a Nigeria where youth are not dependent on illicit drugs.”

Georgewill urged students to uphold ethical standards and resist negative peer influence, adding that the university is committed to creating a safe and healthy environment for its students.