{"id":61154,"date":"2022-12-15T07:11:15","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T07:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=61154"},"modified":"2022-12-15T07:11:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T07:11:15","slug":"how-methamphetamine-is-destroying-youths-in-nigerias-south-east-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=61154","title":{"rendered":"How methamphetamine\u00a0is destroying youths in Nigeria\u2019s South-East region"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Arinze Chijioke<\/i><\/em> (www.ikengaonline.com)<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In November 2021, \u00a0a\u00a0Twitter user<\/a>\u00a0shared series of disturbing videos which captured moments when some young men were stripped of their cloths and had their hands and legs tied to pillars and beaten for either smoking Methamphetamine, popularly known as Mkpurummiri, or selling the substance.<\/p>\n

In one of the videos, youths of Ebenato Ekwe, a community in Isu LGA of Imo State were heard chanting \u201cno more dealer\u201d as they flogged a young man \u2014 whom they claim was a dealer in Meth.<\/p>\n

Since the last quarter of 2021, the South-East region has witnessed what is best described as methamphetamine epidemic. The site of mentally deranged able-bodied young men and women roaming the streets and muttering, with tattered cloths and barefooted most of the times, is common.<\/p>\n

Drug trafficking and illegal laboratories are said to be\u00a0the two main factors encouraging\u00a0availability\u00a0of the substance\u00a0and its use in the region, a development which is believed to have contributed to the surge in crime rate as those who take the drugs are usually emboldened.<\/p>\n

In October, \u00a0a boy\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0killed his father in Adazi Ani in Anambra State and took his N50, 000 to buy Mkpurummiri. He was apprehended by youths of the community, beaten to stupor and burnt alive.<\/p>\n

This August, \u00a0a 500-level student of the Michael Okpara University Of Agriculture Umudike, MOUAU, Abia State, Modestus Hyacinth Egbulefu\u00a0reportedly\u00a0committed\u00a0suicide<\/a>\u00a0after he allegedly took\u00a0the\u00a0substance. He was said to have jumped from the 3-storey building identified as Groom Base Lodge.<\/p>\n

Meth is not only sold or consumed by adult males alone. In Nsugbe, Oyi Local Council of Anambra State, youths\u00a0arrested<\/a>\u00a0two young girls that sold the substance\u00a0in the area. When questioned, one of them\u00a0confessed that she was only helping her mother to do the business.<\/p>\n

In February, the Ebonyi State Command of the Ebubeagu security outfit\u00a0reportedly\u00a0arrested<\/a>\u00a0a gang of 12 suspected drug smugglers who specialise in the distribution of hard drugs such as Methamphetamine, popularly known as Mkpurummiri.<\/p>\n

About\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Crystal Meth<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

The national institute on drug abuse\u00a0describes<\/a>\u00a0Methamphetamine as a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system\u00a0which can be consumed through smoking,\u00a0swallowing in the form of pills, snorting through the nose\u00a0or injecting\u00a0the powder after it is dissolved in\u00a0alcohol or water.<\/p>\n

The International Drug Control Conventions has since categorised Meth as Schedule II (i.e., \u201cdrugs with a high potential for abuse, with use, potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence\u201d).<\/p>\n

While its\u00a0long-term<\/a>\u00a0effects include: extreme weight loss, addiction, severe dental problems, intense itching, leading to skin sores from scratching, anxiety, changes in brain structure and function, confusion, memory loss, sleeping problems, violent behavior, its\u00a0short term<\/a>\u00a0effects include increased\u00a0wakefulness and physical activity, decreased appetite, faster breathing, rapid and\/or irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure and body temperature.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0dangerous illicit drug\u00a0which looks like ice or white chalk crystal and sometimes can be blue\u00a0and\u00a0can be dissolved in water, It is\u00a0said to be\u00a0a very addictive stimulant that renders the user hyperactive and prone to destructive tendencies, which at the extreme do not exclude suicide or homicide at the slightest provocation and without a feeling of remorse.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0manufacturing process generates toxic fumes that can harm anyone exposed to them, said assistant State Commander Drug Demand Reduction Department, NDLEA Enugu State Command, Ome Ajayi.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe substance is often being manufactured in clandestine laboratories and usually harmful to those living close to the labs. \u201cWhile those who operate the laboratories have protective equipment, those living within do not have and it makes it easy for them to be affected,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen they inhale it, it gets to the brain and affects how it functions. They also have breathing problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The process also gives\u00a0off extremely explosive gases. Every pound of meth can create up to 5 pounds of toxic waste that can seep into the soil and groundwater.\u00a0Common pills for cold remedies are also\u00a0used as the basis to produce the drug.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meth \u201ccook\u201d extracts ingredients from those pills and to increase its strength combines the substance with chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze\u201d according to a\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0from the Foundation for a drug free world.<\/p>\n

According to a medical expert, Dr. Jude Onah, the drug\u00a0has the capacity to\u00a0affect the central nervous system of whoever takes it\u00a0and\u00a0creates a feeling of massive happiness that is very addictive.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone with addiction to the drug can be identified by his tattered dressing and shabby looks,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is common to see them\u00a0picking their hair or skin;\u00a0they also have loss of appetite and weight\u00a0and are constantly\u00a0moving\u00a0their\u00a0eyes, with strange sleeping patterns like\u00a0staying up for days or even weeks at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Onah explained that apart\u00a0from being unable to sleep and being violent, the substance typically makes users\u00a0look older and their faces prone to acne, adding that sometimes, excessive use leads to damaged gum and teeth, commonly called \u2018meth mouth.\u2019<\/p>\n

NDLEA and fight to end\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Meth<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0in South<\/b><\/strong>-E<\/b><\/strong>ast<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2021, Chairman\u00a0of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd)\u00a0gave specific instructions to relevant directorates of the agency on how the agency should respond\u00a0following the\u00a0rampant abuse and production of the drug, especially in the South-East. He assured that in a matter of time, the pipelines of such illicit drugs would be shut down and those behind it brought to book.<\/p>\n

Marwa\u00a0said that the\u00a0agency had\u00a0been monitoring the trend in Meth production, abuse and trafficking\u00a0in the country, including the South-East region which had witnessed an epidemic.<\/p>\n

The agency had In January 2021, launched\u00a0an\u00a0offensive action campaign against the illicit drugs. In the past few years, it\u00a0has recorded significant seizures of kilogrammes of the drug, located and destroyed at least 18 meth-producing laboratories across\u00a0the country.<\/p>\n

Following the launch of the offensive, the agency\u00a0arrested<\/a>\u00a0a professional Methamphetamine cook identified as Reuben\u00a0Bekweri, 34, in Owerri, Imo State capital\u00a0while\u00a0he was\u00a0trying to distribute a kilogramme of the illicit drug he\u00a0had\u00a0cooked and packaged in seven nylon sachets\u00a0this March.<\/p>\n

Last July, the agency also busted a major laboratory in Nise community of Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State \u2013 allegedly owned by Paul Ozoemenam \u2013 where methamphetamine was produced and from where they are distributed across local markets and export outside the shores of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

In November 2021, \u00a0Commander of NDLEA\u00a0in\u00a0Enugu State, Adeyemi Adeofe,\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that the agency\u00a0arrested two suspects with 100kg of Ephedrine, which is used in the production of Methamphetamine\u00a0and also uncovered an illegal laboratory that produces the drug\u00a0at Zion Avenue Phase 6 Trans Ekulu in Enugu East Local Government Area, Enugu where a\u00a0third suspect was arrested.<\/p>\n

The laboratory was first\u00a0discovered<\/a>\u00a0in 2019 when three factory workers were arrested. The suspected main drug baron, whose name was given as Christian Chibuzor, had fled the country.<\/p>\n

This July, the NDLEA also busted a Meth Laboratory in the\u00a0Victoria Garden City estate in\u00a0Lagos<\/a>\u00a0where it recovered a total of 258.74 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and arrested its owner, Chris Emeka Nzewi, who lived on the premises with his family. On average, the\u00a0agency<\/a>\u00a0said that\u00a0the lab produced 50 kilos of methamphetamine every week with plans underway to increase the capacity of production to at least 100kg per week.<\/p>\n

Another laboratory was busted in Asaba, the\u00a0Delta<\/a>\u00a0states capital.\u00a0 But Ajayi says that most of these laboratories have been busted in the South-East with none discovered so far in the North where the substance is not as common.<\/p>\n

He noted that while the agency has invested a lot of time and resources in tracking these laboratories, through coordinated intelligence, there could be more, adding that officers are still engaged in further investigations.<\/p>\n

\"\"But why Meth?<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are several reasons why youths take to Meth.\u00a0Among these is the curiosity and the desire to try something new.<\/p>\n

Ajayi said that some youths also take the substance because they want to attract attention giving how they react afterwards, adding that others take it to be strong enough to carry out certain tasks.<\/p>\n

When the drug is taken, the effects are felt extremely and quickly\u00a0and causes\u00a0an immediate and intense\u00a0rush, with pleasurable effects\u00a0that are\u00a0said to\u00a0last longer than cocaine but still somewhat fleeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are those who say they use it to tackle depression or social anxiety,\u201d\u00a0he said. \u201cSome of them are adults who already have children while some women who take the substance say it helps them to cope with abusive relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ajayi said that a major problem in the consumption of Meth is the fact that it often leads to\u00a0drug-induced psychosis which distorts the thinking of addicts and makes\u00a0them believe in what does not exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you have cases of an addict attacking someone in self-defence because he believes that he is about to be attacked,\u201d\u00a0he explained.<\/p>\n

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Mr Ome Ajayi, Assistant State Commander, Drug Demand Reduction Department, NDLEA, Enugu State Command<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

South<\/b><\/strong>-E<\/b><\/strong>ast\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>G<\/b><\/strong>overnors,\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>R<\/b><\/strong>ep members react<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a December 2021\u00a0virtual meeting<\/a>,<\/u>\u00a0governors of the South-East said that all shops and location engaged in the sale of Methamphetamine\u00a0will be forfeited to government. \u00a0They warned that those promoting the trade or indulging in it\u00a0shall be isolated to face the law.<\/p>\n

The governors asked community leaders to give secret phone calls through the special numbers offered by them\u00a0on security and hard drug, adding that efforts to rehabilitate\u00a0those misled into hard drug is also ongoing.<\/p>\n

A month earlier, the\u00a0House of Representatives\u00a0asked<\/a>\u00a0the NDLEA to embark on \u2018explosive and ferocious\u2019 raids on Methamphetamine\u00a0production laboratories in Nigeria.\u00a0It also\u00a0directed the Federal Government to develop a national policy to combat meth and other narcotics across the country.<\/p>\n

This followed\u00a0a motion of urgent public importance moved by Henry Nwawuba, representative of Ikeduru\/Mbaitoli constituency who expressed concerns over the scourge\u00a0of the substance\u00a0in some South-East states.<\/p>\n

Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, on Drugs and Narcotics, David Anya,\u00a0was quoted as saying that all hands must be on deck in\u00a0the fight against Mkpuru-mmiri\u00a0which contributes to the rising insecurity in the region.<\/p>\n

Last year, Special Assistant on Students Affairs to Enugu State Governor, Ilogebe Chidi,\u00a0and other students,\u00a0took to the streets of Enugu\u00a0to lend a voice against the\u00a0menace<\/a>\u00a0caused by the abuse of Mkpuru Mmiri\u00a0and other hard drugs amongst young persons. They displayed placards urging\u00a0youths to abstain from the act.<\/p>\n

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Dave Umahi (centre) with other South-East Governors and the Deputy Governors of Anambra and Imo states (extreme right and extreme left respectively)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Challenges in the fight against Meth<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the NDLEA has recorded appreciable success in the fight against Meth epidemic, especially with the destruction of laboratories, leading to a reduction in consumption rate, it faces some challenges.<\/p>\n

Among these is the lack of sufficient fund which should aid the recruitment and training of locals to be able to detect those who either produce or consume the substance and report to the agency, said Ajayi.<\/p>\n

Additionally, there is the challenge of resistance by community and family members of those found culpable. Ajayi said that usually when\u00a0a\u00a0community notices\u00a0that they can match the officers, they go ahead to attack them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost times, when we arrest those who consume the drug, they refuse to tell us about the production because it is like a cult for them and they don\u2019t want to lose their source,\u201d\u00a0he explained.<\/p>\n

Paradigm shift<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

While section 19 of the NDLEA\u00a0Act<\/a>\u00a0provides that anyone found in possession of drugs\u00a0shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a\u00a0term not less than\u00a015 years\u00a0but\u00a0not exceeding 25 years, the agency\u00a0has been working to see how it can rehabilitate those who take to Meth and make them better members of the society rather than arrest and jail them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, when they get into prison, they become hardened criminals, hence we consider it a public health issue that requires medical attention and work to rehabilitate them,\u201d\u00a0he explained.<\/p>\n

Whenever there is an arrest, the agency invites family members of those arrested and explains to them about the need for treatment and rehabilitation rather than detention.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they accept the idea, we go ahead with the process,\u201d\u00a0he said. \u00a0\u201cBut if they don\u2019t, we only do brief intervention\/treatment for about two weeks after which they are discharged.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that the rehabilitation is a multi-professional treatment which involves the services of psychiatrists, guardian counsellors, clinical psychologists, social workers who work to support the individuals. He said It is not just about giving them drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of what the agency does in this regard is bringing religious bodies to talk to the individuals and workers from the department of psychological medicine who access the successes recorded and suggest ways of improving the process.\u00a0We also have outdoor and indoor games for them,\u201d\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n

From Japan to Mexico and Nigeria<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

Available information shows that Meth was\u00a0first\u00a0developed<\/a>\u00a0in Japan in 1919 after which it was\u00a0grossly abused during World War II when it was issued to pilots on a suicidal mission called \u201ckamikaze.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although\u00a0it was briefly used as medication for depression and for controlling obesity\u00a0after the world war,\u00a0it was quickly abandoned and banned thereafter, especially from the 1970s.<\/p>\n

However, it resurfaced again\u00a0when Mexican drug cartels\u00a0reportedly hijacked its production\u00a0and trade\u00a0on the global scene, including Nigeria, since the ban did not completely destroy the substance and\u00a0in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration\u00a0was quoted in 2015 as saying that Mexicans have helped set up clandestine labs \u2013 known as \u201cclan labs\u201d in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not just mom and pop labs, they are big labs,\u201d Payne said. \u201cMexicans aren\u2019t going to come over and train (people) unless they are dealing in large amounts, \u201dhe said.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement officials\u00a0say that\u00a0weak controls<\/a>\u00a0on imports of meth ingredients\u00a0\u2013 porous borders\u00a0\u2013 is one of the reasons why West Africa is a good production zone.<\/p>\n

Although they are\u00a0Imported legally for use in products such as cold medicine, they are\u00a0easily diverted and transformed into meth by boiling, filtering and then combining them with other chemicals.<\/p>\n

Home to Africa\u2019s largest\u00a0population and some of the region\u2019s most established criminal gangs, Nigeria\u00a0is said to be among countries that\u00a0dominate<\/a>\u00a0meth production in West Africa.<\/p>\n

Imo,\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>substance<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>abus<\/b><\/strong>e<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0capital<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

While presenting a paper during the 2021 Pharmacy Week of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Imo State last September,\u00a0Commander of Narcotics at the Imo State Command of\u00a0the NDLEA, Olugu Kalu Chinyere\u00a0said that\u00a0Imo State had emerged as\u00a0home to the\u00a0highest<\/a>\u00a0incidents of substance abuse\u00a0\u2013 including Meth\u00a0\u2013\u00a0in the entire Southern Nigeria.<\/p>\n

During the presentation, Chinyere\u00a0was quoted as saying that In the last few years too, the agency has\u00a0uncovered and neutralized clandestine laboratories, all sited within the state, a development which shows that the drug war is already \u201cat our door steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she solicited strategic partnership between pharmacists in Imo State and the NDLEA Command in the state,\u00a0she\u00a0decried the absence of a vital self-regulating mechanism among stakeholders in the value chain.<\/p>\n

Handling addiction and the way forward<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the prevalence of methamphetamine has had a devastating impact on the lives of youths, health experts say that misuse\u00a0of the drug\u00a0can be prevented\u00a0and that it\u00a0requires a comprehensive Meth treatment plan that consists of detoxification, counselling\u00a0and therapy.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Onah, a medical doctor in Enugu said that an individual needs to realise that his\/her addiction is self inflicted and destructive and must take ownership of the condition and actively desire help.<\/p>\n

While there are two levels of addiction, including the physical and the Psychic, Onah said that the physical addiction is easier to deal with\u00a0and is handled by controlled withdrawal of the drug.<\/p>\n

For addiction, he said the focus is on\u00a0management and rehabilitation, not necessarily of cure. However, he explained that when an individual is stopped suddenly,\u00a0there are quite frequently adverse reactions,\u00a0hence\u00a0the person is brought to a hospital and under supervision the drug is withdrawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cOccasionally\u00a0they are\u00a0giving some drugs to support the body through the adverse reactions\u00a0and If there has been associated psychiatric illness following the substance abuse the condition is treated as well,\u201d\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n

He further noted that when\u00a0the patient is stable,\u00a0he is\u00a0then\u00a0transferred to a rehabilitation centre run by psychologists and psychiatrists who use voluntary group therapy in re-orienting him\/her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe person needs to see the new ways of handling the stresses which led to the substance abuse in the first place,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cA religious experience of committing oneself to living by the tenets of faith is universally helpful\u00a0just as the family and support system also need reorientation to manage the individual.\u201d<\/p>\n

On his part, Ajayi said that while it is possible to rid the society of meth epidemic, collaboration is needed, adding that the agency has been organizing meetings\u00a0and talking to community people, including traditional rulers,\u00a0on what roles they can play in tackling the menace.<\/p>\n

This Report is part of activities by the\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>Ikenga Media & Cultural Awareness Initiative (IMCAI<\/b><\/strong>) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project, a multi-level intervention for media independence and government accountability, managed by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and supported by MacArthur Foundation.<\/b><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\u25aa\ufe0e Report by Ikenga Online<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Arinze Chijioke (www.ikengaonline.com) In November 2021, \u00a0a\u00a0Twitter user\u00a0shared series of disturbing videos which captured moments when some young men were stripped of their cloths and had their hands and legs tied to pillars and beaten for either smoking Methamphetamine, popularly known as Mkpurummiri, or selling the substance. In one of the videos, youths of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":58318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5777,7],"tags":[774,5347,962],"class_list":["post-61154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-features","category-news","tag-drugs","tag-menace","tag-south-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}