Francis Sardauna in Katsina

A Katsina-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Queen Dijah Women and Children Awareness Initiative, has taken a campaign against drug abuse to secondary schoolgirls to combat the growing cases of drug abuse among youths in the state.

The campaign, which was carried out by the NGO in collaboration with the Katsina State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), aimed at mitigating the harmful effects of drug use among youths by providing accurate information and its risks.

In commemoration of the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the campaign saw the presentation of free exercise books to the students by the Queen Dijah Women and Children Awareness Initiative.

Addressing the female students at the defunct Women Teachers College in Katsina, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Queen Dijah Women and Children Awareness Initiative, Ambassador Khadijah Suleiman-Saulawa, decried the prevailing cases of drug abuse among youths in the state.

She explained that the consumption of prohibited substances by teenagers and adults has become a serious challenge to the growth and development of the society and advocated the need for critical stakeholders to join forces against its consumption.

“The consumption of various types of illicit drugs among teenagers and adolescents has made them irresponsible to society. We believe that by educating them early, we can prevent them from falling victim to this devastating epidemic,” she said.

She called on the state government, traditional and religious leaders, parents, teachers and community members to play an active role in supporting youths and preventing them from drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Presenting a paper titled: ‘The Consequences of Drug Abuse’, the Assistant State Commander of the NDLEA, Mustapha Maikudi, said drug abuse and illicit trafficking have affected families, educational institutions and many other areas of life in the society.

He identified memory loss, cancer, kidney damage, suicide, impaired judgement, aggressiveness and violence, sexual and child abuse, among others as consequences of drug abuse that have militated against the development of the society.

He, therefore, urged students to shun drug abuse, illicit trafficking and other acts capable of truncating their future and livelihoods while carrying out their academic activities and remain resolute in achieving their set goals in the society.

Maikudi, however, said the NDLEA has adopted revolving strategies and a massive campaign to effectively eradicate the drug scourge in all its ramifications.

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