The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Akwa Ibom State command has recommended drug testing in secondary schools with a view to detecting students with violent tendencies.
The agency disclosed that majority of the cult activities and violent actions in secondary schools across the state, and especially, Uyo High School within Uyo metropolis were influenced by abuse of hard drugs.
The state Commander, Mrs. Obot Bassey,who speaking at a panel on the role of hard drugs in teenage cultism, decried heavy use of hard drugs by underaged children in Akwa Ibom State .
She disclosed that the NDLEA has seized a total of 165kilograms of hard drugs from 105 youths within a period of four months.
She reported that use of illicit drugs among the youths in the state was largely responsible for heinous crimes such as rape , banditary, armed robbery, kidnapping as well as cultism among Secondary Schools children in recent times.
She added:”I resumed here 4months ago, and in 4 months the NDLEA, Akwa Ibom State command has seized 165kilogrammes of hard drugs from 105 youths. It could be shocking and very alarming to see that last week, August 6 to be precise, a 26-year-old male was arrested with 1.2031kg of Cocaine worth N25million, the highest seizure in Akwa Ibom state in 18years. What will a 26-year-old be doing with N25million? On finding solution to teenage cultism, my take on this is that we should look at the protective factors and how to bring children out of cultism in Akwa Ibom state. Parents need to know how to develop their wards .
“We(NDLEA) enjoin the Commissioner for Education Akwa Ibom State that before you send the students back to Uyo High school, you should get Drug test-kits, let them be tested before they are reabsorbed into the school. Heinous crimes such as kidnapping, banditary, rape, cultism are all hinged on hard drugs”
