Governor Kashim Shettima shocked everybody present at the
inauguration of a 10-man committee on drug abuse at the council chambers of the
Borno State Government House on Thursday, when he declared that some of his
cabinet members were drug addicts and asked one of his commissioners if he knew
them when he (commissioner) burst into laughter.
The governor, who was reacting to an
address by the state commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA) when he said it was sad that drug abuse in Borno State has risen to an
unprecedented level and has cut across age, sex and various socio-economic
backgrounds.
Governor Shettima, who corroborated
the commander’s position also said most of the Boko Haram insurgents arrested
were found with tramol and psychotropic drugs, adding that, some of the boxes
also found in possession of the sect members at various camps included not only
weapons, but drugs of different kinds.
It is recalled that the 10-man
committee inaugurated by the governor was informed by his efforts to curb drug
abuse in the state by complementing the efforts of the NDLEA in the fight
against illicit drugs in Borno State.
While inaugurating the 10-man
committee, Governor Shettima said apart from the second World war, nothing had
consumed more human lives than drugs and that drug abuse is worse than cancer
and HIV/AIDS, as such the need to have a committee to control the menace in
Borno State.
The governor said people under the
influence of drugs can commit heinous crimes such as rape, murder, robbery and
sometimes even commit suicide, because the drugs control them, adding that
drugs are like forbidden fruits which once tasted, it is difficult to resist.
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Politics