The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Abia has criticized the state’s high rate of drug abuse.
The Guardian reported that this was said on Wednesday at a celebration of the 2023 International Day Against Substance Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking by the NDLEA Commander in Abia, Mr. Dogo Yusuf.
According to Yusuf, this manifested itself in a long queue of victims awaiting admittance to NDLEA’s rehabilitation camp in Aba.
The subject of the worldwide event is “People First: Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention.”
He regretted the fact that, due to the enormous number of victims in the state, the NDLEA’s rehabilitation center in Aba was unable to accept all the victims who need rehabilitation.
“This is due to lack of room, which is evidence that drug usage is widespread in Abia State.
The more so, he continued, “abhor stigmatization and assist those who are already in trouble in finding their way back to normal life.”
He stated that the agency’s efforts to reduce stigmatization and prejudice against drug abuse victims required the assistance of the Abia people and that the stigmatization has kept these people from getting help throughout the years.
According to him, drug abuse sufferers are human beings with inherent dignity who deserve the compassion, understanding, and help they need to feel safe, respected, and motivated to seek treatment.
The Commander did point out that his message for the occasion was identical to that of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa.
Fighting assumptions and prejudices that limit victims’ access to healthcare and encouraging acceptance, according to him, develops a society that embraces victims on their road to recovery.
Despite significant logistical difficulties, he said that the Abia Command had been quite effective in prosecuting and convicting drug offenders.
Yusuf requested help with logistics and car donations, adding that drug eradication in a community required reliable vehicles to get to afflicted areas.
