New Telegraph

Muslim group links rising crime rate to drug abuse

Disturbed the increasing crime rate and the number of youth engaging in illicit drugs, the Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions, has called on parents, schools and government agencies to join the crusade against drug abuse.

Consequently, the group called on everyone particularly government at all levels to be more vigilant involved in the monitoring of the youth against the menace. Speaking during a public lecture by the Companion Lagos District Non Elective Conference, the Amir of the district, AbdulGhani AbdulMajeed described drug abuse as a major threat to national development, family stability and social security. He explained that the lecture titled: “Curbing the Menace of Drug Abuse in Nigeria”, was borne out of the increasing youth involvement in substance use and abuse.

He said that despite the existing drug laws, policies, and strategies for prevention of drug abuse, the burden of drug abuse is still high in Nigeria. He said: “As a faith based organisation involved in youth and leadership development with a youth wing called ‘The Dawn’, as well as dwelling in a country which has a large population of youth, we find this scourge among the youth a matter of concern.

AbdulMojeed , who said there is a nexus between drug abuse, violence, crime and insecurity, explained that substance abuse has so many negative impacts on the youths such as insanity, social misfit, school dropout and various forms of medical disorder which usually render the drug addict unproductive and unfit for any meaningful endeavor. Harping on the alarming rate of substance abuse, the representative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos State Command, Usman Umar, said that the agency is ensuring the menace is put under control. He added that all hands must be on deck to curtail the challenge.

He urged all relevant stakeholders to rise up and join the crusade the NDLEA is leading, to make Nigeria a better and safer nation. Delivering his paper titled: “Drug Abuse: Major Catalyst for Criminality and Insecurity in the country”, the head of Department of Religious and Peace Studies, Lagos State University, (LASU), Dr. Mustapha Adebayo Bello, noted that drug addiction is a global problem and the drug war should be a source of concern to all Nigerians. “No family in Nigeria is immune to the effects of drug abuse. It is right in front of us. The menace has obliterated a significant portion of our youth’s potential.

Many people’s lives have been destroyed by hard drugs, which have shattered families and wreaked havoc on society. It’s hard to overstate the connection between drug abuse and criminal behaviour. Boko Haram. Pirates, kidnappers, armed robbers, bandits and other criminal masterminds use hard drugs to carry out their murderous actions against Nigeria’s law-abiding people.” He urged Muslims not to do anything to endanger their lives as the consumption of hard drugs have been adjudged medically as the passport to short life. He noted that the youth are supposed to be the major agents of change and development but some of them have been destroyed by drug addiction and this poses a big threat to the future of the country.

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