Ishaku Babale,29, not real name, revealed that he was dismissed twice from Bingham University, Karu, over his addition to drugs and narcotics, a practice he started at junior secondary school about 11 years ago.
Mr Babale, now residing in Gwallameji, a community at the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis, could not be admitted into any tertiary institution about five years after he was expelled from Bingham University.
He decried that substance abuse is quietly wreaking havoc on his life. He regretted addiction to drugs destroying his dreams, damaging his relationships, and leaving emotional and physical scars that last a lifetime. Babale knows this reality all too well, now.
Babale, in an emotional interview with WikkiTimes, revealed that his journey into addiction began in junior secondary school, not through peer pressure, but curiosity.
“I just wanted to explore and live the life,” he said. It started innocently enough sneaking out of school to buy gin for senior students but curiosity soon turned into experimentation.
“One day, my friends and I decided to try it. That was the beginning of everything,” he said.
From alcohol and gin, Babale graduated to codeine, which he and his friends began calling “swag” because of the slowed-down feeling it gave.
He described the early experiences as “blissful,” even as they marked the beginning of a downward spiral.
He added, “I had money, and I just wanted to live the social life. But it all went south. I hit rock bottom. It drew a rift between me and my parents. Sometimes, I came home drunk and caused chaos.”
The substances expanded, crack, ice, weed, and cigarettes. While he claims not to be addicted to weed. “It takes discipline,” he says.
Babale admits the struggle with other substances has consumed him.
He said he has been through rehabilitation twice but continues to relapse. “I’ve tried stopping so many times, but it’s like it’s taken over my inner being. I need prayers,” he pleaded. His message to young people: “Stay away from drugs and bad friends. Drugs will destroy you—physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
Speaking on the issue, Muhammad Kabir Umar, Assistant Superintendent General of Narcotics and PRO of NDLEA Zone 1, Bauchi clarified that drug abuse includes inhalants, injections, and any drug taken without a doctor’s prescription for the sole purpose of getting high.
“People don’t realize alcohol is also a drug. Anything that alters your body system qualifies as a drug,” he said.
Umar explained that the NDLEA is working hard to reduce drug abuse, but limited manpower hinders their efforts. He cited Bauchi’s Bayan Gari as a hotspot needing urgent attention.
He said the agency has implemented awareness campaigns through radio, television, lectures, and school outreach programmes. Importantly, those struggling with addiction are not called “addicts,” but “sick persons,” a term that reflects the mental toll drugs take.
