Police, Lagos council, group unite against drug abuse

In a bid to frontally tackle drug and substances sale and abuse in Lagos State, a non-profit organisation, United Breed Foundation, has partnered with the Amuwo-Odofin local council, the police, Lagos Neighbourhood watch and churches to sensitise residents against the menace.

Speaking at the Amuwo-Odofin local council headquarters, the Convener of the foundation, Anthony Abakporo, decried the prevalence of drug use amongst youths, saying that even primary school children were not left out.

“It will shock you to know that children in primary school now use hard drugs according to some cases we have before us. We are trying to penetrate the schools through the PTA and parents to sensitise them against this looming danger. Parents need to be close to their kids, check their phones always and monitor them strictly to ensure they are not into drugs or in a cult.

These are things they are picking up from the environment around them and we need to let our children and youths know that these dangerous activities would lead to destruction and death,” he said.

Abakporo, who organised a mega walk, yesterday, in FESTAC town to drive home the message, said the foundation understands that drug use is a mental issue and therefore does not stigmatise people using drugs but seeks to rescue and rehabilitate them.

He added that the foundation refers cases beyond them to the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba.

“But most times, Yaba doesn’t have space to take in these people and it has become worse during this pandemic as drug use has spiked astronomically,” he said.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), FESTAC Police Station, CSP Balogun Gboyega, said the police could not work in isolation, adding that they needed more people to report people selling drugs to them so they could take them off the streets.

Music artiste, Ibrahim Olalekan Oboromboro, alias Rocksteady, said it was important to let young people know they don’t need drugs to function or perform.

“I don’t use drugs before I climb the stage. I have never had to use so called performance enhancers to perform because that’s not what motivates me,” he said.

Chairperson of Amuwo-Odofin local council, Valentine Oluwaseun Buraimoh, said he was solidly behind the foundation’s gesture, urging parents to take more responsibility for their wards.

“If you can’t afford to take care of more than one child, please don’t have more children. Youths, we know the economy is hard but turning to drugs is not the solution,” he said.