Contrary to popular belief, cocaine and heroin are no longer out of the reach of the common man!
One afternoon in March, our
correspondent set off in search of joints where hard drugs were sold and
consumed in parts of Lagos. Along the line, the search led to a narrow
street, just off the busy Olowu Street and adjacent to the popular Ipodo
Market. Known as Ilo Street, it is lined on both sides with crowded
shops on most days of the week.
On this particular afternoon, a number of
people, idle men from the look of it, sat at the back of a wooden kioks
in front of a storey building. One of the men occasionally passed tiny
wraps to the others in exchange for money.
Continue after the cut....
Our correspondent observed the
transactions for a while and then, without being noticed by the others,
beckoned to one of the men – a gaunt and wrinkled fellow whose bloodshot
eyes darted a quick and suspicious glance.
The man gave his name as Yakubu Mohammed.
Obviously guessing that our correspondent desired some of the stuff
wrapped in paper, he offered to help him get it.
“If you want Charlie or Thailand, I can
assist you to get some. Alaye won’t sell to you because you are new
here,” Yakubu said in Pidgin English.
Alaye was the fellow who had been passing
the wraps to the other men. As it turned out, he was a dealer in hard
drugs and the words ‘Charlie’ and ‘Thailand’ stood for the street names
of cocaine and heroin.
Our correspondent was able to buy two
tiny wraps of cocaine and heroin at N100, but not without attracting
curious stares from the other drug users.
“They suspect you may be a policeman or
NDLEA official,” Yakubu explained. He cut the picture of a young man
whose whole existence revolved around hard drugs. He had just had a fix
that afternoon and was clearly a shade too excited.
Like Ikeja, like Mushin
After combing the area for a while, our
correspondent discovered more addicted drug users and not less than six
dinghy drug joints between Ilo Street and Ipodo Road, obviously the hub
of a thriving illicit trade in narcotics in Ikeja.
Further investigation showed that most of
the joints were located in filthy surroundings, often near crowded and
busy streets, especially in densely parts of Lagos, such as Ikeja, Ogba,
Agege, Mushin and Somolu.
Young men and women, some barely in
their teens, often loiter around such places, eager to grab an
opportunity for a quick fix. In a particular joint on Akala Street,
Mushin, a nursing mother sitting on a mat quietly sniffed from a
substance in a piece of paper, while her baby yelled for her attention.
“Some of these people you see here have
no homes. This place is their home. Day and night, you will find them
here. This is where they always hang out. The only time they leave here
is when they need money desperately for another fix,” a resident of the
street said, on condition of anonymity.
When asked why he had not bothered to
report to the police or NDLEA, the man said, “It is risky. Some law
enforcement agents are practically on the pay roll of these people. Some
come here in disguise to buy drugs, too. What if I go to a police
station to report and somebody leaks my identity to them? That will be
too risky. Most drug addicts are criminals. They are capable of
anything. They could kill or maim if they suspect that you are a threat
to them.”
Also, in the Mushin area, Igbarere,
Anifowoshe, Umoru, Akinbiyi and Alhaji Lasisi Streets, among others, are
dreaded and avoided by many law-abiding Lagosians because of their
collective role in the wider trade in hard drugs.
A resident once described the area as
the “unofficial hard drugs market. Illicit transactions between drug
pushers and their customers take place in many of the shops found on the
streets. You can easily tell a drug joint by the filthy curtain hanging
at the entrance. When our correspondent visited there, a few young men
could be seen openly smoking Indian hemp, now a common ‘food’ in many
parts of the city, as it is in many others in the country.
Normally, influential Nigerians are
associated with cocaine, heroin and other related narcotics. While
children of the rich, for instance, flaunt the drugs in schools, it is
said that some wealthy people go as far as sharing cocaine and heroine
to their guests at some social functions. But most of the addicts
encountered on the streets of Lagos were clearly from poor backgrounds.
Methamphetamine factories
Sometime in January, Governor Babtunde
Fashola expressed concern over the discovery of illegal methamphetamine
production plants in parts of the state. This added another dimension to
the general awareness of a looming drug crisis.
“The discovery of clandestine
laboratories for methamphetamine production in Lagos is the first alarm
of insecurity in the state,” the governor was quoted as saying during a
meeting with the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency,
Ahmadu Giade, in Lagos.
“Since crimes like armed robbery and rape
are often committed under the influence of drugs, we must first fight
drugs in order to fight crime. At this time of high security challenges,
drug control should be a high priority issue. Every society that wants
to promote peace and security must fight drugs,” Fashola said.
Earlier, news reports had indicated that
the discovery of such illegal plants posed a serious obstacle to the
current campaign to rid the country of the menace of drug addiction.
Almost every week, traffickers in hard
drugs are caught trying to smuggle in narcotics at the Murtala
International Airport and other airports across the country. The
development confirmed the suspicion held in certain quarters that
despite the efforts of the NDLEA and other law enforcement at curbing
the trend, Nigeria might be on the brink of a major social disaster.
The three major drugs in popular demand
among drug users in Lagos are cocaine (known as ‘Charlie’), heroin
(‘Thailand’) and Methamphetamine ( ‘Meth’ or ‘Fast-track’).
“Meth is relatively new in Nigeria. But
it is the most powerful, addictive and dangerous. It is three times as
potent as cocaine. That is why those who are addicted to it are always
hyperactive and restless,” says Pastor Ade Adeleye, the founder of the
Word of Life Rehabilitation Centre.
Often referred to as the ‘poor man’s
cocained’ Meth is a whitish, odourless and bitter substance that easily
dissolves in water or alcohol. It can be taken orally, intravenously or
by smoking and snorting.
In 2010, the drug became central to the
Federal Government’s campaign to rid the country of narcotics after
eagle-eyed NDLEA officials observed an outward flow of the drug from
Nigeria to Western and Asian countries. This was the warning bell that
foretold the possibility of illegal meth factories flourishing within
the country.
Before then, Meth became popular for its capacity to enhance sexual performance and for its medical property as a pain killer.
For some time, it was imported into the country by drug barons perpetually on the lookout for quick profits.
Our correspondent tried in vain to obtain
the drug, which sells for N50 per capsule. He was informed that it
could only be purchased over the counter. Even then, most retailers will
not sell to a buyer they hardly know, not until he is identified by a
regular and trusted customer.
But a tip-off from a former drug addict compelled an unsuccessful search for an unidentified meth production plant in Oregun.
“I heard the plant is run by some Oriental people and they are very discreet,” the source said.
In terms of street value, meth is cheaper
to buy than cocaine or heroin. But sources say drug barons are prepared
to invest a lot of money on it because of the high profit margin.
Perhaps this explains why it is relatively easily available.
Other drugs often abused by users in this
part of the world include Indian hemp (also known as marijuana or
cannabis), amphetamines, glues and hallucinogens, such as LSD.
Journey to self destruction
Stakeholders cannot stop worrying about
the effects of drug addiction. Apart from the implication on the crime
rate, the environmental and health consequences seem to be endless. But
for the person involved too, drug abuse is a quick ticket to the land of
self destruction.
While many people the world over have
fallen from grace to grass because of their involvement with drugs, the
case of a popular Nigerian reggae star, Majek Fasek, who was apparently
destined for the very top, but who took to drugs and has become a shadow
of his glory, is a glaring example. The artiste, is now a regular
guest at rehab homes. All efforts to reinvent him vis-avis his music
have not yielded fruits because the man, is still mentally, physically
and psychologically stranded in drug holes.
The case of another financial top shot,
who got lost in the drug groove, is instructive. He was introduced into
the world of cocaine by some girls. Since he tasted the first shot, he
could not stop asking for more. Although he had a wife and kid, he
eventually sold off everything he had – including his car – to satisfy
his craving for more drugs.
A Lagos-based elite family also reaped
the bitter fruit of addiction through one of these children, not long
ago. The youth was sent abroad for university education. It was there he
turned an addict, forcing the parents to lure him back home.
Unfortunately, it was during one of his mental fits that he shot his
mother dead, plunging the family into further tragedy.
In a report published in SATURDAY PUNCH
on January 12, 2013, NDLEA boss, Ahmadu Giade, said the production of
meth had deadly consequences for human health. He said, “The gases that
are released from the production of meth are deadly, if inhaled. For
every pound of meth produced, five to six pounds of waste products are
generated. They can also cause skin cancer if exposed to the human skin.
“Then there is the matter of the solid
waste that is released after meth has been produced. Some of the
suspects had drilled holes into their fence through which they disposed
of this waste on empty parcels of land near their homes. This waste
kills everything around it; the soil and grass. Now if that waste
percolates into the ground, it can equally pollute the ground water.”
Similarly, recalling his days as an
addicted drug user, Phillip Agadi, said, “When you are under the
influence of hard drugs, you are usually so useless that you are not in
control of your actions. Your judgment becomes twisted. Even if your
child is dying, you won’t even be touched. When I was addicted to
cocaine, I was always completely detached from reality. I thought of
nothing else other than where to get money for the next fix and I was
ready to do anything, even kill for it. I would day sit in one place for
a whole and do nothing. I couldn’t work for a living because I felt
there was no need to do so.”
The Helpguide.org, an online
resource portal, describes addiction as a complex disorder characterised
by compulsive drug use. A statement posted on the website says that
repeated use of a substance can alter the way the brain looks and
functions.
It says, “Taking a recreational drug
causes a surge in levels of dopamine in your brain, which triggers
feelings of pleasure. Your brain remembers these feelings and wants them
repeated. If you become addicted, the substance takes on the same
significance as other survival behaviors, such as eating and drinking.”
“Changes in your brain interfere with
your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your
behavior, and feel normal without drugs. Whether you’re addicted to
inhalants, heroin, Xanax, speed, or Vicodin, the uncontrollable craving
to use grows more important than anything else, including family,
friends, career, and even your own health and happiness.
“The urge to use is so strong that your
mind finds many ways to deny or rationalize the addiction. You may
drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you’re taking, how much
it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over your drug
use.”
Saved from themselves
While the war against drug trafficking
continues to rage across the globe, some drug users in Lagos have been
fortunate enough to be saved. Our correspondent, for instance,
encountered such people, including Adewale Adebambo, Tope Taiwo and
Osagie Aisien, at the WLRC in Akute, a community in Ogun State. At
different times in their lives, they were all addicted to hard drugs.
All three were residents of Lagos and got entangled with narcotics in
Ikeja, right in the heart of the Mainland.
For more than 30 years, Adebambo, for
example, abandoned his family to walk a strange and tortuous path
defined by an endless yearning for cocaine, heroin and crack, known
locally as ‘Gbana’. He lived like a vagrant, without a home and a
thought of the future, and was virtually at the mercy of nature.
In rain or shine, Adebambo (now almost 72
years old) walked the streets of Ikeja and Agege begging for alms to
satisfy a perpetual hunger for drugs and food.
In an interview with our correspondent,
the old man recounted, with a hint of deep regret, how he got hooked on
cocaine and heroin in all those years, as well as how he desperately
struggled to overcome drug addiction and start a new life.
He said, “I have no one else to blame
except myself. I lived on the streets. Looking back at the past, I can
say there is no gain in street life. I gained nothing and was clearly on
the path of self-destruction. I depended heavily on cocaine and heroin.
I would beg alms from morning till night and do odd jobs just to make
some money. In the end, I spent all the money on hard drugs. Sometimes I
made about N10,000 from begging in a day and I would spend all the
money on drugs the same day.”
Incidentally, Adebambo confessed that he
got his regular dose of narcotics from a discreet joint on the same
Ipodo Road in Ikeja. “I was only one among many men and women, even
teenagers, that got their supplies from the joint,” he said.
Before he got completely hooked on drugs,
he had worked with Guinness Plc for about 27 years. Although he was not
rich, he was reasonably comfortable and actually owned a commercial bus
from which he earned extra money.
“I used the vehicle for transportation.
One day I decided to sell it. I spent the proceeds on hard drugs. That
was how I was able to sustain my habit until I started begging on the
streets,” he added.
Reluctantly and almost tearfully, Taiwo
narrated how he was lured into addiction and how he kept up the habit
for 15 years. He said, “It is not a good thing to remember the
unpleasant past. I lived a very miserable life. I was lost, battered by
hard drugs, homeless and hopeless for a long time. Everything about me
was upside down. I was addicted to hard drugs for 15 years. A girlfriend
of mine introduced me to cocaine in 1987. Before I met her, I worked
with a dairy company known as Samco and I was doing very well.”
Also, hard drugs cost Aisien the
opportunity to make history as a member of the national football team
that won the maiden FIFA Under-16 World Cup in China in 1985.
“I was a member of that YSFON team that
transited into the National Under-16 squad in 1984. Although I wasn’t
hooked on drugs at the time, I was already involved as a courier. There
was this man who always paid me to ferry some packages abroad for him
whenever we were travelling out of the country for a match or for
camping. I did that successfully for a while before I got booted out for
breaking camp rules just before the China tournament,” he said.
With his exit from the football team,
Aisien, who claims to be the nephew of a former coach of Bendel
Insurance Football Club, decided to drop out of school. The result is
that he found himself getting deeply involved with hard drugs.
“I was addicted to drugs for over 20 years,” he told our correspondent.”
-Punch
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Plz don't do drugs!!!!!
-Usaveone
Share your thoughts....thanks!
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