A man in the Internally Displaced Person camp at Daloi, Maiduguri has revealed that he got addicted to drugs to forget the memories of his parents and sister who were brutally murdered during an attack on their town by Boko Haram insurgents.

The 30-year-old man, Abubakar Mala hails from Gamboru-Ngala, in Borno State.

Speaking to News Agency of Nigeria, Mala said his family members were killed after terrorists stormed their town – forcing him and other people to take to their heels.

On his return days later, he discovered what was left of his family members.

“I was not a drug addict before; I had a flourishing business in Gamboru, where I made good money to cater for my parents. Unfortunately, everything was taken away from me, including all my family.”

“What do you expect me to be doing; how do you think I can forget these memories? To me, life means nothing. I need to forget the memory of the sad event, and that is only possible through taking drugs.”

“I love to be like this (drug addict) because it makes me forget all the madness.”

Speaking on drugs, the Borno State Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Ona Ogilegwu, on Tuesday said that addiction was on the increase in the state because of the ripple effects of the insurgency.

He warned that unless the situation was curtailed, there might be a “a generation of drug addict after the Boko Haram insurgency.”

He decried that the cases were more with internally displaced persons, especially those residing in camps.

He however, revealed that the agency had started an enlightenment program with particular attention on 28 IDP camps.

“We have made arrest of people in IDP camps for dealing in illicit substances, like cannabis sativa, diazepam, benelin with codeine and several other substances.”

“Unless drastic measures are taken, there might be a generation of drug addicts after the Boko-Haram insurgency,” he warned

“We have continued to advise the state government to set up committee on drug abuse, comprising the NDLEA, military, SEMA, UNICEF, WHO, and Federal Neuro-Psychiatric, to handle this menace of drug activities in the camps.”

“You will be shocked when you go to the Federal Neuro Pshychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri; there are thousands cases of mental disorder associated with drug abuse,” he added.