By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi
Worried by the increasing rise in drug-induced snatching and other criminal activities, the week before last, the leader of the Katsina state Hisba Board requested all the Imams leading Friday prayer, to give their summons on drug abuse, a menace that has become so pervasive in the state. It has also become a serious problem and threat to the society. The various Imams did not disappoint.
The menace appears to be growing by the day, and the rest of the law abiding citizens of the state are being the worse for it. Even security personnel are not spared from the consequences of the menace. The happening in Kaduna town not long ago when an NDA graduate was stabbed to death, is a case in point.
It has reached a point where the security people are even giving advisory to people not to confront the snatchers, but just give them what they demand without any hesitation, because they are mostly high on drugs, and therefore not in control of their senses. Meaning they can do anything, including committing murder on the spot.
The ugly trend of drug abuse is UNLIKELY to end in the country because the high ups are alleged to be also ‘doing’ drugs in the comfort of their homes. Their children and wards are also alleged of being unapologetic druggists, at home or at fanciful places.
Katsina is now home to many gangs of phone snatchers operating in several parts of the state capital. And security operatives cannot contain the menace, because of the alleged involvement of ‘godfathers’, who allegedly always ‘order’ for the immediate release of the accused druggists.
I once witness to a phone snatching incident, which looked like something out of the movie. Driving in a dense traffic hold up, the phone in the breast pocket of the man on the wheel was taken away by someone from outside, and before the driver could get out of the vehicle, the thief had melted into the crowd. I was all along on the passenger’s seat when the drama unfolded.
As said earlier, some big people are alleged to be behind some of the syndicates. Not unlike the groups of insurgents, and bandits, the snatchers are supported and encouraged by big people in the country, who provide the drugs used by the miscreants, whom are almost always high on multiple assorted drugs.
It is alleged that most of the insurgents are completely stoned or drunk before they undertake their heinous crimes, and commit the animalistic savagery, which often includes insane murders.
This explains why many of the insurgents do not think twice about the savagery they remorselessly commit on their victims, and many times the drugs are supplied, or financed by some highly placed people, some of them in the corridors of power at both federal and state levels. Often, they would shed crocodile tears in public, but in private continue to provide the deadly drugs to the insurgents, to continue with their deadly activities.
May God bring the committed leaders that will rid the country of such criminals and druggists. The country needs another Sani Abacha to rid her of these unwanted dregs, which the it will be much better off without.
Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.
