Must Read: How Enugu guber candidate aided proliferation of Methamphetamine (Mkpurummiri) in South-East

Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It takes the form of a white, odourless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.

Methamphetamine was developed early in the 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers. Like amphetamine, methamphetamine causes increased activity and talkativeness, decreased appetite, and a pleasurable sense of well-being or euphoria. However, methamphetamine differs from amphetamine in that, at comparable doses, much greater amounts of the drug get into the brain, making it a more potent stimulant. It also has long-lasting and more harmful effects on the central nervous system. These characteristics make it a drug with high potential for widespread misuse.

Addicts can take methamphetamine by smoking, swallowing, snorting or injecting the powder that has been dissolved in water or alcohol. The “high” from the drug starts and fades quickly, people often take repeated doses in a “binge and crash” pattern. In some cases, people take methamphetamine as a “run,” giving up food and sleep while continuing to take the drug every few hours for up to several days.

In the Vanguard report, November 20, 2021 titled “Mkpurummir: The drug destroying the Igbo Youths”, we could see that the proliferation of methamphetamine (Mkpurummiri) was only seen in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. In the report, the National Drug Law Enforcement headed by Buba Marwa single-handedly picked the Igbo Youths as the consumers of the harmful drug.

As a crystal narcotic hallucinogen, it has destroyed the mentality of numerous youths. Scientists estimated that 75 percent of the users in our society are adversely affected and this has become a burden to families and communities.

The drug’s ability to rapidly release high levels of dopamine in reward areas of the brain strongly reinforces drug-taking behavior, making the user want to repeat the experience.

It was not surprising until shortly after the revelation was made and the NDLEA swooped on the current guber candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu, Uchenna Nnaji. He was alleged to have been the number one supplier of the white chalk crystal substance which has caused a lot of mental damage to the teeming youths of Igbo extraction.

Uchenna Nnaji was initially arrested in 2018 in India with a parcel of cocaine. He was trialed and imprisoned for 8 months but later got his way back to Nigeria for only God knows how. Information has it that one of the current governors of a certain state in the South-East (name withheld) who has been a great ally of Uche Nnaji and had also come from a given political umbrella with him has been the one sponsoring his drug trafficking deals to the western world.

The same governor who imposed him as a hitherto guber candidate against the wishes of his party men in Enugu was said to have spotted the Mkpurummiri business and had given it to his lackey, Nnaji to execute and that was how he became the sole distributor of Mkpurummiri in the entire South-East.

Having been picked by the NDLEA in February 23rd, 2022, that is barely four months after the Vanguard report, his principal who is a governor under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) latched on his influence as a governor under the ruling party to secure his release through the backdoor and Uche was never allowed to face the full wrath of the law.

Information from his best friend who pleaded anonymity has shown that Uche and his principal were said to have made more than $3.5 million from the illicit business. He said he (Uche’s friend) at a point was given the contract to distribute the substance in the whole Anambra State, and Anambra alone gave them more than $1.7 million.

One thing about people who earn a lot in illicit businesses is that they don’t care a hoot the impact such business will create in the society. As far as the money keeps coming and lives are being damaged, let the business continue.

Because of the impacts of the addictive stimulant that renders the user hyperactive and prone to destructive tendencies which at the extreme do not exclude suicide or homicide at the slightest provocation and without a feeling of remorse, Uche Nnaji’s business was short-lived as community leaders could no longer entertain severalties of complaints and evil bedevilling the society.

The elders in a bid to stop this had resorted into contracting deities to take a revenge on the sellers and consumers since the security agents couldn’t handle the issue alone. The youths also had on their own gone into hunting for both the sellers and consumers of the harmful substance, tying them on the trees and giving them thorough public flogging, while priests in respective churches have embarked on aggressive preaching against the substance which was the making of Uchenna Nnaji.

Just like the state controlled by his principal is under siege, a situation where lives and properties are being destroyed and the governor will be busy importing ladies from the European world to entertain guests in his birthday party, the same as he envisioned for Ndi Enugu by forcefully imposing Uchenna Nnaji on the people of the state.

Our youths can’t be turned to drug lords and champions of illicit businesses overnight and that is why all is crying on the top of our individual voices, shouting “enough of drug lords in politics”. We can’t afford to trade our dear state at the alter of devil incarnate humans who wished us nothing but to perish.

Pharm. Ozioko Benedict writes from Enugu