600 pupils sensitised to drug abuse, cybercrimes in Ashaiman

November 11, 2026

2 minutes read

• Madam Ayisha Ibrahim Tarl educating the pupils

Six hundred pupils from three basic schools in the Ashaiman Municipality of the Greater Accra Region were on Saturday sensitised to drug abuse and cybercrimes to prevent them from falling prey to these and other anti-social vices.

Held on the theme, “Securing Our Future: Say No to Drug Abuse and Cyber-crimes,” the programme was attended by pupils from Ashaiman Presby ‘A’ Basic, Ashaiman Presby ‘B’ Basic and Central Presby Basic and JHS.

It was organised by the Ashaiman Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and the Cyber Security Authority (CSA).

The Municipal Director for NCCE, Ashaiman, Ms Salvata Mawulom Koku, said the rationale for the programme was to drum home the menace of drug abuse and the dangers of cybercrimes, stressing that children were the future.

She said although education was the NCCE’s core mandate, there was the need to bring on board NACOC and CSA to add their expertise.

The Deputy Narcotic Control Officer from the Education and Preventive Department of NACOC, Ms Ayisha Ibrahim Tarl, admonished the pupils not to consume substances containing stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens in the quest to feel good or solve one problem or another.

She took the pupils through the offences and penalties relating to drug-related crimes, shared some travelling tips and advised them not to fall victim to drug trafficking schemes if they intended to use any of Ghana’s entry and exit points.

She further advised them not to allow the love of money to push them into drug-related businesses.

An officer from the Child Protective Department of the CSA, Mr Martin Aboagye, noted that although cyberspace was useful and had come to stay, it also had the potential to harm children when not used with care.

He bemoaned the fact that cyberspace had become a place where people, under the guise of business and acquaintance, committed all manner of harm against unsuspecting victims, especially children.

Mr Aboagye explained that some of the online risks children faced included cyberbullying, sexual extortion, stalking, cyber grooming and online violence.

He cautioned that since the internet did not forget, children should be careful about the digital footprints and reputations they left online, as these could haunt them in later years.

The Municipal Director of Education, Ms Gloria Kwakuyi, called on the pupils to be of good behaviour and use the internet for the benefits it offered.

FROM TIMES REPORTER, ASHAIMAN

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