Rwanda National Police

Ecole Islamique, a secondary school in Nyamirambo, Nyarugenge District has moved to introduce and incorporate the fight against abuse of drugs into the school programmes.

The school head-teacher Haruna Nshimiyimana, while speaking at the anti-drug abuse awareness campaign held at their campus on Friday, said that they intend to form an ant-crime club, which will be supported to realize the school set agenda.

“We are mentoring a young generation that can be influenced and led astray if we don’t keep an eye and importantly involve them in solving such challenges, we will have partly failed as mentors,” said Nshimiyimana.

He noted that mentoring a focused, knowledgeable and skilled students that are fit for the labour market, it also requires to prevent them from illegal and criminal acts of abusing or selling drugs.

“We believe by forming and supporting a strong and active students’ anti-crime club(s), such issues will be discussed among themselves, advise colleagues and friends that could be doing drugs, and become catalysts against drug use either within this school or in their communities,” he said.

Ecole Islamique has over 700 students.

Nshimiyimana also thanked the existing partnership between schools and Rwanda National Police (RNP) in fighting and preventing anything that can hamper the future of the youth including drug abuse and enlightening them on the modern-day slavery of human trafficking.

Senior Supt. Christophe Semuhungu, the director of the anti-narcotics directorate in RNP, appealed to the students to live an exemplary and focused life by doing away with drugs, the common vice among the youth.

He identified cannabis as the common drug that should be given emphasis, although he added that there is also another issue of doing mayirungi and tablets, although at a smaller scale.

Elsewhere, Huye District Police Commander, CSP Francis Muheto also engaged muslim-aspiring youth in the fight against drug abuse, human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

CSP Muheto challenged the youth to stay focused, desist from any attempts to lure then in wrongdoings and instead report such people to security organs or local authorities.

The youth, he said, hold a vital part in crime prevention, first by refraining from anything illegal and reporting those involved.