Jane Ibiba Odili, Ogun State Commandant of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) has decried the use of prayers, torturing and starvation to solve mental issues caused by drug abuse.
The Commander of Narcotics said mental illness is a chronic brain disorder that requires professional treatment, and not a spiritual attack that can be cured by prayer or fasting.
“Yes, international best practices and a body of research have shown that you don’t use punitive measures to treat somebody who abuses drugs because research has shown that drug abuse is a chronic brain disorder.
“Even if you tie the person down from today till tomorrow the body is already asking for the drugs, the body is already relying on the drugs, it is a problem of addiction and dependence, It is not flogged away, it is not starved away, if somebody has the drug abuse problem it’s better to take the person to the hospital and it is not a spiritual attack even if you fast for 10 days it will not do anything.”
However, she said the families of the victim can resort to prayer after professional treatment has been administered.
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