Married women as drug addicts

The socioeconomic situation in the country is driving many youths into different vices among which are drug abuse and addiction but when married women are involved, the story takes on a different dimension altogether. ISAAC SHOBAYO, KOLA OYELERE and MUHAMMAD SABIU report on this trend.

WHEN early in the year a Kano State senator, Jibrin Barau, raised the alarm over abuse of drugs in the Northern part of the country, especially by married women, not a few were taken aback, especially by people in other parts of the country who have always seen women in that part in a different light.

If it was just the youth engaging in drug abuse, reasons could easily have been alluded to socioeconomic issues of poverty and unemployment. But when married women are involved, the reasons are a little difficult to explain.

“We need to do something about it. It has gone beyond the youth and now it is very prevalent among married women. Women who are in charge of upbringing of children are now drug addicts,” Barau said in March.

Kano State

Sunday Tribune investigations revealed that the women involved often abuse cough syrups, codeine syrup, Indian hemp and off-the-counter drugs like rohypnol, tramadol and others. The NDLEA boss in the state, Hamzar Umar, said the situation is serious to the extent that within one hour of sending his men into the field, as many as 100 ladies were arrested. He added that the number of women in detention over drug abuse is also rising.

“I will not deceive the public. It is indeed increasing. We are seeing more women now getting involved in drug. I just sent our operatives into town and within one hour, they rounded up over 100 ladies involved in drugs.

“To be frank with you, at some joints like Sabongari and other hiding places in the ancient city of Kano, you can find these ladies taking drugs as if they are taking normal food,” Umar said recently.

Interestingly, findings indicated that the married women resolved to take drugs in order to improve their libido and sexually satisfy their husbands, so that the husbands will not look outside for other women. Others said the reason was to “cool tension.”

Others admitted that the only remedy that could pave the way for them to forget their sorrow, lamentation and worries was to take to drugs.

A young lady of 24, who called herself Dorcas, told Sunday Tribune that she was introduced to drugs when she became a commercial sex worker.

“If I take it every night before I commence the business, it will boost my business. At times, I will make up to N30,000 per night.”

Kaduna State

Late last month, Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, echoed Senator Barau at a one-day seminar in Abuja organised by the National Directorate of Employment. The governor who said recent studies indicate that “drug addiction is threatening a generation of women and youths noted that substances that were once unknown have acquired notoriety among the youth, who now put them to some negative use.

Investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), showed that a great percentage of young women across northern Nigeria, including students of tertiary institutions, working class ladies, married women and a vast majority of unemployed girls, are hooked on drugs.

Worried by the situation, wife of Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello had, in May, stated that “the situation has become so critical that the Northern Governor’s Wives Forum had decided to make it one of their focal points when advocating at the highest levels of government.”

Findings by the Sunday Tribune revealed that young ladies between the ages of 14 and 24 are assicted to drugs.

A sociologist, who gave his name as Yusuf Auta, revealed that in today’s world, both the children of the poor and rich indulged in this illicit acts.

According to him, there are many factors responsible for the increased cases of drug abuse among the women.

One of the reasons, he said, are young ladies who couldn’t get married on time for one reason or the other, and later took to drugs as a way of forgetting all the frustrations and abuses usually heaped on them by their parents.

A young lady who gave her name as Sadiya Usman told Sunday Tribune that “every day, I took tontolin syrup to make me forget my worries and in the process, the urge to have sex with a man took over my feelings. I will not be done until I got what I want.”

Apart from the worry to get a husband, Auta maintained that married women also take drug to enhance their sexual urge.

This view was corroborated by a chemist who gave his name as Attahiru. He told Sunday Tribune that his sales often triple on weekends because most of those who came to his chemist were young ladies and women.

“They will come and buy Benylin cough syrup, tontolin and so on including condoms,” he stated.

The effect has been phenomenal as findings revealed that drug abuse has led to unwanted pregnancies, adultery, kidnapping and burglary and broken homes.

Commenting on the menace, the Village Head of Sabon Garin Kakuri, Alhaji Halilu Abdullahi, implored parents to monitor their children, as well as to know the type of friends they keep.

Plateau State

In Plateau State, one of the causes of the prevalence of drug abuse has been the many years of crises in Plateau State. The youth who were willing tools in the hand of unscrupulous people fanning the ember of disaffection for their selfish end needed the drugs to carry the bidding of their principals.

Investigations have also revealed that in Plateau State, drug abuse and alcohol are leading causes of broken homes. Among the youth, a particular local brew known as ‘Gosgolo’ – a replica of local gin called ogogoro, – is often mixed with dangerous substances such as liquid detergent and other corrosive chemicals to make it more intoxicating.

Unfortunately, it has been difficult arresting those behind the sales of this illicit drink because security men have also joined those who patronise the joints where it is sold.

A woman who recently divorced her husband on account of excessive consumption of  ‘gosgolo’ but would not want to be named told Sunday Tribune that her former husband ‘was married to gosgolo.’

“He comes home drunk and beats me up always and I got tired and had to separate from him to trade in yam and potato to feed my children.” she said

One Mathew Gyang told Sunday Tribune that, “I take gosgolo, but it is not my fault. It was my friend who introduced it to me. He said that it would help me to overcome fear. Anytime we are going out, especially for political rallies, we often ensure that we drink excess of gosgolo to make us feel high.”

Another lover of gosgolo, Patrick Musa, was told by a friend that the drink will make him think fast and give him good ideas but it has proved otherwise. “Frustration and bad company led me into drugs and consumption of gosgolo. A friend introduced me to the illicit drink and other dangerous drugs. He said this will enable me to think fast and give me good idea of what to do but a reverse is the case,” he said.

The situation had become so bad that the paramount ruler of Jos, the Gbong Gwom, Da Gyang Buba, had embarked on a tour of the local government areas in his domain to sensitise his subjects especially the youths, on the danger of getting involved in gosgolo.

Apart from gosgolo, there are those who engage in consumption of other dangerous drugs or sniffing open sewage or a pit latrine in order to get high for their nefarious activities. This is mostly common among illiterate commercial tricycle drivers and others doing menial jobs in the city of Jos.