For years now, police have equipped students with knowledge about dangers of drug abuse. Several campaigns have been held in schools across the country and anti-drug abuse clubs created. At least 90 per cent of the over 1000 clubs across the country are in schools. The effort seeks to strengthen understanding on the dangers of abusing drugs among the youth.And those involved with the campaign say the effort is already bearing fruit. According to Supt. Christophe Semuhungu, the director of anti-narcotics unit at the Rwanda National Police’s Criminal Investigations Department, a drive to assess the impact of the campaign has showed that both students and communities around schools are now playing a greater role in fighting drug abuse. “Whenever we conduct a campaign, we first do a drugs mapping and identify schools in drug-prone areas. The whole essence is to tutor students on dangers of drug abuse and subsequently pass on the message to the communities around schools as a collective preventive effort,” said Supt. Semuhungu. The assessment is conducted at least every after three months. “Before we leave a certain school, we have to ensure we have established an anti-narcotics club and equip teachers with skills on how to help students understand the effects of drug abuse. We have since reaped big from this approach; whenever we leave or go back, students are enthusiastic about giving us information on drug abusers and traffickers,” said Supt. Semuhungu. According to Semuhungu, students have also come up with suggestion boxes which makes it easier to report cases related to drug abuse and whenever officers go back for inspection, they analyse the notes from students, some of which have resulted in successful investigations and arrest of drug traffickers. On June 10, Supt. Semuhungu led a team of police officers to hold a similar campaign targeting 300 students of Samuduha Integrated College in Kigali’s Kicukiro District and tutored them on the dangers and effects of drug abuse on the consumers, the community and the national economy. “The problem with narcotics is that anyone can be a victim irrespective of the age. This, in turn, affects many areas such as education, health, morals and, of course, without forgetting security issues such as domestic violence, robberies and homicides,” he said. Most drugs registered in Rwanda are cannabis and illicit brew under different brand names such as muriture, bareteta, yewe muntu and ibikwangari, which are brewed locally and other brands of gin like Kanyanga and Blue Sky that are trafficked from neighbouring countries – all are said to be containing life threatening content. SP Semuhungu cited article 593 of the penal code which stipulates that growing, selling, transformation, transportation, storage and consumption of narcotic drugs are prohibited, except in cases and conditions specified by law. Article 594 penalises any person, who consumes, injects, inhales, anoints themselves with or makes any other unlawful use of narcotic drugs, with any convict potentially facing a term of imprisonment of between one to three years and a fine of Rwf50, 000-Rwf500, 000; or both.Those who produce or supply banned drugs and gin face an even heavier punishment. “Any person who unlawfully makes, transforms, imports, or sells narcotic drugs within the country, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of three to five years and a fine of Rwf500, 000 to Rwf5 million. If the acts under the preceding paragraph are committed internationally, the penalties are doubled,” article 594 reads in part. A number of people have been arrested for either selling or consuming drugs, with scores of them prosecuted or still awaiting their fate. As part of the ongoing efforts to curb the drug abuse menace, “The youth constitute the biggest percentage of the population and, therefore, eradication of narcotics trade and consumption should mainly focus on them,” Semuhungu said. Police statistics indicate that drug and alcohol consumption contribute to most criminal offences across the country. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
