Children under 15 into illicit drugs - NDLEA

The Gombe State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has expressed concern over the use of illicit drugs among children under 15 years.

Mr Aliyu Adole, the state commander of the agency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Monday that the trend was "worsening every day.''

"They (children) use syringe and needles to inject illicit substance to their veins

"The substances embolden them to carry out all sorts of vices, unprotected sex inclusive," he said, adding that the command had arrested many children while in the act.

"We took some of the children to Gombe State Agency for the Control of AIDS and some of them tested positive to the virus,'' he said.

"We have tried to counsel them; we have tried to let them know the repercussions of taking illicit substance, but they do not to listen to us,'' he said.

The commander appealed to parents to monitor the behaviour of their children, stressing that they (parents) have special role to play in assisting them to stay off drugs.

NAN recalled that Child Protection Network (CPN), an NGO in Gombe, has identified increase in the consumption of illicit drugs among children as one of the major challenge the network was tackling.

Malam Yaya Hammari, Adviser, CPN, recently called on parents to always observe the behavioural pattern of their children and report any sudden and unexplained change.