MEDCI, Yobe Govt Lead Campaign Against Drug Abuse
The Media and Disability Care Initiative (MEDCI) in collaboration with the Yobe State Government on Saturday in Damaturu led a town hall meeting and road walk campaign against drug and substance abuse.
The event, held at the NUJ Press Centre, drew participants from security agencies, civil society organisations, religious leaders, and health experts, all united in the call for a drug-free Yobe.
In his welcome address, the Executive Director of MEDCI, Mr Rajab Muhammad, said the campaign was part of ongoing efforts to curb drug abuse and its social consequences among youths and vulnerable groups in the state.
Muhammad commended Governor Mai Mala Buni for supporting the initiative, describing the campaign as timely and necessary in addressing a growing public health and security concern.
“Our mission is to raise awareness and mobilise communities to say no to drugs. The collaboration between the Yobe State Government, NDLEA, security agencies, and civil society is a step toward building a healthier, safer society,” he said.
Muhammad explained that the sensitisation exercise featured lectures and testimonies on the dangers of drug abuse, presented by experts from the health, security, and faith-based sectors.
He added that the organisation planned to extend the campaign to other local government areas to sustain public enlightenment on the menace.
Speaking at the event, the NDLEA Commander in Yobe, Mr Abdulazeez Ogungboye, commended MEDCI for the initiative, noting that drug abuse had become a major challenge in the North-East due to insecurity and economic hardship.
Ogungboye said the NDLEA was intensifying its operations to reduce both the supply and demand for drugs in the state.
“Those who sell drugs are merchants of death who do not care about the lives of others. We arrest and prosecute them to serve as deterrence,” he said.
He disclosed that the agency had established local outposts across Yobe’s 17 local government areas to support community sensitisation and information gathering on illicit drug activities.
The commander also announced that the command would publicly destroy all seized drug exhibits on Tuesday as part of its enforcement efforts.
Also speaking, Dr Babagana Machina, a consultant psychiatrist at the Yobe State Specialist Hospital, warned that drug abuse was directly linked to mental illness, depression, anxiety, and several physical health complications.
“Drug abuse contributes to domestic violence, accidents, and child neglect. Over half of child labour cases involve parents who use drugs,” Machina said.
He called for stronger inter-agency coordination among government institutions, civil society, and religious leaders to combat the menace.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Yobe, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, said the command arrested over 50 persons for active drug consumption in the first and second quarters of 2025.
He emphasised that drug abuse was not only a law enforcement issue but a collective societal problem requiring collaboration from all stakeholders.
The town hall meeting and road walk featured sensitisation messages, personal testimonies from rehabilitated addicts, and public lectures in English and Hausa to reach a wider audience.
