People are openly injecting drugs around the building near the Parliament Complex at night – Adult Teen Challenge Fiji

Concerns are being raised as people are openly injecting drugs in the heart of Suva City around the building near the Parliament Complex while others also gather there to receive their shots.

Adult Teen Challenge Fiji’s Director, Matai Akauola highlighted this during fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan when asked about the information and updates they are receiving from the ground.

He says this issue has gone out of control and raises the issue on what are the churches actively doing to address this.

Akauola says this was happening when they were returning from a prayer session at about midnight on Sunday, when a man was injecting drugs and a police officer who was part of Akauola's group had confronted the man and took the needle away.

He says it seems some churches are just focusing on building their kingdoms.

He says 30 years ago when people were farming yaqona some were peddling drugs and it was going right into the embassies, so drugs are not only affecting those at the lower end of the family structure but also people in the offices.

Akauola says one way or the other, people are involved in drugs and when society doesn't deal with it, it becomes a problem for us because we allow it to happen.

The organization is running the country's first-ever drug rehabilitation centre that is located in Lololo, Drasa in Lautoka which was established for youths whose lives have been entangled with drugs.

He is calling on the Fiji Police Force on what is being done and to address the issue where drugs are being injected and sold right in the public eye.

The concerning trend of the sharing of needles by hard drug users, where people are injecting the drug and then using the same syringe to draw out the blood of that person, and then putting it into another person’s body continues.

While responding to our questions on how is the police monitoring this situation, the Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations, Livai Driu says they need evidence regarding this matter.

He says Police are deployed throughout the City for operations.