Nigerian Newspapers
Drug addicts go for Lizard faeces
• It’s a new way to get high •As students hold codeine parties to mark birthday
By FRED ITUA, Abuja
Any child old enough to spell his name would readily reel to you the names of existing hard drugs. There is cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, indian hemp and a few others which bear criminal tags and as such banned from open sale and consumption. But no one will ever consider an ordinary cough syrup like benylin or lizard faeces as one of those substances to be categorized as ‘hard drug’.
The reality however is that the criminalization and high cost of the usual hard drugs listed above have in combination with other factors led to the discovery of other potent substances with similar stimulant and/or suppressant effects on the central nervous system by consumers of hard drugs especially teenagers. Top on the list now are a brand of a popular cough syrup; benylin with codeine and lizard dung.
The demand for these on the streets of Nigeria’s major cities particularly Abuja and Lagos has obviously beaten the standard set by cocaine addicts. The abuse of these substances got so alarming that the federal government recently banned the sale of benylin with codeine off the counter except with a medical doctor’s prescription.
Though it is common knowledge that there have been instances of drug peddling by the low and mighty in the society, what is however new is the fact that sale of narcotics has finally entered the streets of Abuja, with local shop owners, popularly known as ‘aboki’ now selling raps of marijuana (indian hemp) and codeine syrups.
Abuja is the nation’s seat of power and home to children of the rich and top government officials. Investigation by Saturday Sun revealed the new modus operandi drug peddlers have now adopted in plying their trade. Codeine syrup which ordinarily should be sold to patients based on doctors’ prescription are now sold by owners of small shops, popularly referred to as kiosks. It is however unclear how these small shop owners get their supply, but they readily have products available for any customer who discreetly walks into their shop to buy. Codeine is primarily used to treat mild to moderate pain and to relieve cough. It is also used to treat diarrhea and diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome.
In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and several others, codeine is regulated under various narcotic control laws. In Nigeria, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), strictly forbids pharmaceutical shops from selling cough syrups, particularly codeine to patients without doctors’ prescription. Although there are few cases of non-adherence to this directive, many of the pharmaceutical shops comply.
Unregulated small shop owners who now thrive in the trade of selling these cough syrups usually don’t attract the attention of relevant regulating agencies. A small shop owner who refused to disclose his name told Saturday Sun that he sells more than 20 bottles of cough syrups (codeine) everyday. Speaking in pidgin English, he said: “Oga, I dey sell plenty codeine everyday. Plenty boys dey come my shop come buy am. Some go even park their big big cars because they wan buy codeine from me.
I dey do am with sense make people no put me for trouble.” The abuse of codeine syrup which is common among secondary school pupils and undergraduates both in Lagos and Abuja has almost turned to a fad as young girls and boys now organize what they call “codeine parties” to mark their birthdays or other events. Saturday Sun gathered that in such parties, it is either one is allowed entry at the venue as long as one can show one or more bottles of the syrup or it is the only drink allowed to be taken by all.
Investigations also reveal that the syrup is often mixed with coke. For those who still hide their addiction from their parents, siblings and friends or who want to take this in public places without the suspicion of others, they also pour the syrup into a plastic bottle of coke after pouring away half of the coca-cola content to give the impression they are taking coke.
A Lagos based young lady who indulges in this act told Saturday Sun under condition of anonymity that “I take mine with coke because the taste is not just a perfect blend but the plastic bottle of coke can take three or four bottles of syrup with some coke inside to mix it.”
The undergraduate further added that “I used to hide mine in the coke plastic bottle for a long while until recently that I discovered that my aunty who I stay with in Lagos also secretly takes it and has been hiding hers even in large quantity in her wardrobe.” She boasted that “ we all take it openly in the house now including her (aunty’s) children to treat ‘family cough’ and that’s why I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Calls and messages to the mobile phone number of the Director of Public Affairs NAFDAC, Abubakar Jimoh by Saturday Sun were neither acknowledged nor replied.
Another popular hard drug that has gone viral and openly sold by owners of small shops in Abuja is marijuana. Although the NDLEA regularly makes public announcements of major seizures of marijuana that have been destroyed by its operatives, it is gradually becoming a common phenomenon to see smokers of this on the streets of Abuja. Sometimes, policemen look the other way whenever they see group of boys smoking marijuana. Arrests are made sometimes, but no serious prosecution has been recorded.
The new twist to the sale and usage of marijuana in Abuja is that it has gone beyond the era when peddlers of this hard drug carried out their trade with fear and trembling. Small shop owners have been introduced into the business. Customers openly visit these small shops, scattered all around Abuja and majorly operated by people of northern extraction to buy raps of marijuana. One rap of marijuana is sold between N20 and N50, depending on the area of the nation’s capital city.
These shop owners have also now created conveniences behind their shops for their customers to discreetly smoke the purchased wraps of indian hemp. Apo Quarters and Utako/Jabi District top the list of places where small shop owners confidently sell marijuana. Other areas include Kado Estate, Gwarinpa, Life Camp as well as high brow areas like Wuse, Asokoro, Garki and Maitama.
The high brow areas also house the highest number of small shops operated by security men (gatemen) of some of the beautiful edifices in the city. In particular, some streets in Wuse zone 4 area of the city have for years been noted as places where residents can get cheap sex, cocaine, heroine, cannabis and other hard drugs as well as bureau de change operators that operate round the clock.
Further investigations by Saturday Sun also revealed another reigning but harmful intoxicant in Abuja and other major parts of northern Nigeria. Lizard dung is now a flourishing way of getting ‘high’ in this part of the country. What started in core northern states as a child’s play is gradually becoming a booming trade. In Abuja and in northern states, young boys are hired to hunt for lizards.
These lizards, captured alive are then kept in cages, just like poultry farms and cattle ranches. They’re fed daily and their dungs are collected, dried and kept safely for use. The users then blend the dung and rap them in small papers for use. While some users inhale the blended dung, others smoke it like marijuana. The intoxicating effect of the dung is believed to be 50 percent higher than marijuana and cocaine. Although lizard dung has not officially been banned by relevant agencies of government, there are strong indications that it could turn into a multi-million Naira industry with the potential of selling the ‘finished products’ at robust prices.
The developing areas of Apo Quarters and suburbs towns and villages of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are becoming safe havens where lizards are being hunted like regular animals and caged in order to extract their excreta for use. There are also fears that when intoxicated with lizard dung, the ‘highness’ can make the individual engage in some unimaginable things.
A medical expert, Ben Omoze believes the intake of lizard dung could propel those involved to carryout violent acts like rape, reckless driving and physical violence without any knowledge of what they’re doing. Reacting to this, spokesperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju told Saturday Sun that more than 15,000 kilograms of marijuana have been seized between January and March, 2013 in Abuja alone. He added that several arrests had been made of operators of retail shops where marijuana is sold openly and culprits brought to book. “It is our responsibility to control the production, sale and abuse of hard drugs,” Ofoyeju stated.
“We are doing that. A lot of places in FCT have been abusing drugs. It will interest you to know that NDLEA between January and March this year, has mopped up over 15,000kg of cannabis in FCT alone. The number is still on the increase.
“That is to tell you the extent of drug abuse in FCT alone. We are not relenting. The fact that we’ve made several seizures doesn’t mean we will rest. Every retail shop that we’ve information on, we’ve raided them. The people selling have been brought to book. Members of the public shouldn’t always assume that we know. Those places where these things are sold should be forwarded to us and we take action,” Ofoyeju added.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Sun Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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