Police Advise Parents After Viral Video Of Minor ‘Getting High’
The Borno State Police Command on Sunday urged parents and communities to educate minors, teenagers, and adults on the dangers of illicit drug use.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Nahum Daso, reacted to a video that showed a minor believed to be under ten years old abusing a substance known as “solution”.
The child from the Bama Local Government Area lives on the streets of Maiduguri without access to education.
THE WHISTLER viewed the 40-second video in which the child explained, in Hausa, that although the substance was not sweet, he consumes it to ‘get high’.
He said in Hausa, “We used to drink it, we take it just to get high, it is not sweet, but it makes me high.”
When further asked about his parents and education, he responded, “I do not know where my parents are, I am from Bama, and I live on the streets here in Bulabulin, this is Maiduguri, and I am not in school.”
Daso addressed the video, saying many people often blame insurgency for current societal challenges, but he argued that a lack of parental guidance also plays a major role in social problems.
He stated, “They represent the breakdown in the value systems meant to protect and nurture our younger generation, just like we benefited when we were growing up.”
Daso described drug abuse and illicit substance consumption as significant contributors to crime and antisocial behaviour among vulnerable youths.
He urged the public to consider serious questions: “Who sold this to a minor? Where did they learn this from?”
Suggesting solutions, Daso encouraged community members to take collective responsibility and emphasised that parents, educators, and leaders must play active roles in addressing the crisis.
He advised, “Community watch groups should identify and report illegal drug vendors or suspicious activity within their neighbourhoods.
“Community leaders should collaborate with relevant security agencies to keep drug traffickers and dealers out of neighbourhoods.
“Parents and guardians to monitor their children’s behaviour, friends, and daily activities.
“Parents and guardians should actively regulate the content their children are exposed to on television and social media, especially materials that may glamorise drug use or promote harmful behaviours.
“Caution street children who are found with these substances and break the conspiracy of silence by exposing the evildoers in the society.”
Daso commended the Borno State Government for revitalising and rebranding the Anti-Social Vices Joint Operations.
He said the initiative, which involves judicial, religious, community, and security stakeholders, provides a holistic strategy for addressing the root causes and effects of social vices.
He added, “Through shared responsibility and committed action, we can begin to reverse this dangerous trend and rebuild a society where our children are safe, protected, and allowed to thrive.”
Police Advise Parents After Viral Video Of Minor ‘Getting High’ is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
