The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has blamed the proliferation of club houses around Kwara State University, Malete, for the rising cases of drug abuse among students and youths in the community.
The Kwara State Commander of the NDLEA, Fatima Popoola, stated this on Tuesday during a sensitisation programme on the effects of drug abuse organised by the agency in collaboration with the university.
Popoola said the agency had repeatedly made arrests linked to the abuse of nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, in Malete, describing the trend as alarming and deeply troubling. “We have been making repeated arrests involving the abuse of laughing gas in Malete town, and this is very heartbreaking. In fact, one suspect was arrested behind a hostel located outside the school premises,” she said.
She attributed the growing prevalence of substance abuse among young people to the increasing number of club houses springing up in the university community. “There are many club houses in Malete, and laughing gas is being abused by young people at parties and other social gatherings. When it is inhaled, it affects the brain, causing users to laugh uncontrollably and behave abnormally.
