The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised concerns over the abuse of psychoactive substances among young people in Borno.
The agency said substances frequently abused include fermented human urine, lizard dung, camel urine, Lipton soaked in gin, and mentholated spirit mixed with soft drinks.
In a statement on Thursday, Iliyasu Mani, the commander of narcotics of the NDLEA in the state, said the fight against substance abuse has become intense — especially among teenagers.
He added that youths go to the extent of inhaling toilet fumes and gutter dirt in their quest to get intoxicated.
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“Let me state categorically here that these new psychoactive substances that are commonly abused today include cannabis sativa, skunk, cough syrup with codeine, ice, tramadol, rohypnol, diazepam, pentazocine, rubber solution, glue, gutter dirt, toilet fumes, lizard dung,” he said.
“Others include Lipton soaked in gin, camel urine, Mentholated spirit in soft drinks, 10-day-old human urine, and so on.”
He urged the public not to relent as the fight against substance abuse is a collective one.
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“Despite all these, we must not lose our hope as the agency has strengthened its efforts towards prevention strategy through the establishment of remodeled counselling/rehab centre within the premises of Borno state command,” he added.
He said the command, on his watch, has seized 4.5 tonnes of illicit substances, arrested 863 suspects, and established drop-in centres across all tertiary institutions to serve as drug abuse research centres.
He added that of those arrested, 53 have been convicted while 736 were undergoing counselling.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime household survey conducted in 2018, and reviewed in 2021 and 2022, placed the level of substance abuse in Nigeria at 14.3 percent, which was three times higher than the 5.6 percent global average.
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The survey put the prevalence of illicit drugs in the north-east at 13.6 percent, 12 percent in the north-west and 10 percent in the north-central.
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