Rwanda National Police has urged members of the seventh day Adventists church in the Southern Province to use Christianity in educating youths about the dangers of drug abuse.
The call was made by Nyanza District Police Commander (DPC), Superintendent of Police (SP) Athanase Ruganintwari during a meeting held at Nyanza stadium on May 8 and drew a congregation of over 1500 members of the Adventist church in the district.
In his address, SP Ruganintwari told them about the dangers of drug abuse adding that fighting them is the responsibility of everyone including churches.
The use of illicit drugs, he said, alter one’s mood, emotion or state of consciousness.
“Drug abuse can result in serious behavioral and emotional changes that ultimately destroy a person’s life. The negative effects from drug abuse can have immediate and long-term consequences. Careers have been ruined and families have been devastated because of drug abuse. Physical harm or death can result from drug abuse because of reckless behavior by the drug abuser,” he said.
The DPC also talk about several effects of drug abuse, among them including addiction and its consequences which he said isn’t simply a weakness as people think but a disorder involving a compulsive, uncontrollable need for someone to persistently abuse drug.
“Addicts of narcotic substances always have a bad ending since they are the ones involved in crimes like assault, theft, rape and defilement among others. They usually commit such offenses when they are under influence of illicit substances that’s why we have to collectively fight them through collective awareness campaigns to educate people on such adverse effects.”
The head of the Adventist Churches in the Southern Province, Pastor Abidan Ruhongeka thanked the police for its collaboration in ensuring the welfare of youth and recommitted the church’s will to use Christianity in fighting drug abuse.
In a related development, over 120 drivers of public buses operating in Kirehe we also sensitized on the dangers of drugs and their role in fighting them.
In a meeting presided over by the District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police (SP) James Rutaremara, drivers were urged to always be vigilant about the luggage they transport to avoid facilitating drug traffickers.
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