Research: Children Abuse Drugs in Gombe

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

Research has shown that children in Gombe start to engage in drug abuse from primary school age at the tender age of eight to ten years.

While youths within 15 – 30 years consume controlled substances like cannabis, diazepam, exol-5; legal medicines like tramadol, rophynol, pentazocine, tutolin, yellow boys and unconventional drugs like solution, suck-n-die, petrol and glue, older people abuse socially acceptable substances like alcohol, cigarette and kolanuts.

Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Gombe State Command, Mr. Aliyu Adole, revealed this in Gombe yesterday at the inauguration of Gombe State Eminent Persons Forum on Safety and Security.

According to him, “In Gombe State, research has shown that youths (male and female) are the major culprits of drug abuse.Some of these youngsters mostly within the range of 15 – 30 years have confessed to have started using drugs right from primary school at a tender age of 8 – 10 years”.

He said one of the consequences of the development had been unwanted pregnancies around the ages of 12 and 13.

Convener of the meeting, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austin Iwar called for consorted and collective efforts in wresting crimes and criminality to a standstill in Gombe.

“Gombe State Police Command overtime has done everything policing possible to deal with security challenges. Unfortunately, some of these challenges have proved to be worrisome,” he said.

The Commissioner identified some of these recurring cases of rape, especially rape of minors, saying the Commander had recorded 20 cases from January 2016 to date.

He further identified drug abuse, youth violence and communal clashes of which 26 clashes involving 26 communities had been witnessed in the state from 1996 to date.