Hauwa Mohammed, popularly known as Jaruma, has publicly discussed her battle with drug addiction.
Speaking at an event hosted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) titled “Drug Dependence: Addressing the Fear of Stigmatization in Recovery.”
Jaruma disclosed that her introduction to drugs came through a friend and Lagos-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Anu.
She detailed her addiction to injections, which she initially turned to as a means of managing stress and anxiety.
Jaruma spoke about the profound physical and emotional toll of drug use, including bouts of depression and a near-fatal incident.
She expressed gratitude for the assistance she has received and urged others to seek help for addiction.
She stated:
“I once made a video on YouTube discussing something but I didn’t know the video would go viral and turn me into the Jaruma everyone knows. I was trying to get a job and earn a regular income.
“I made some mistakes after being in the spotlight. I never got involved in drugs during my secondary school and university days because I was the only child of my mother.
“One day, a friend who I knew was into drugs (marijuana) invited me to hang out. We were chilling together, and she offered me the marijuana, but I refused, saying I was okay.
“She then asked me how I relax since I don’t smoke or drink, mentioning that every celebrity has a way to relieve stress. I told her I can’t drink or do drugs because I’m Muslim.
“A few days later, I saw them with a balloon, and I wondered what on earth they were doing with it. I had no idea what it was. She said, ‘Let me show you.’ If I had known what the balloon was, I would have refused it.
“I was on the floor, and my friend said that is the initial effect, but after I do it like four times, I will get used to it, and it will become normal, and I won’t be drooling anymore.
“This was something I didn’t know. She gave me the balloon, and asked me to just inhale it. So, after I regained consciousness, I left and never spoke to her again because I was so upset.
“Then Dr. Anu came. She had told me some things. She said some people have been paid to tarnish my image. She said some people are after me. I reported Dr Anu to my fathers Femi Babafemi and Buba Marwa.
“They were getting ready. I sued her in court. You are going to see the petition with the date and everything soon. NDLEA were so mad when I told them what happened.
“She said ‘let me give you one injection. You are going to sleep like you have never slept before and forget all my problems. She grabbed my arm and did the injection.
“The moment it touched my blood. I felt something at the back of my neck onto my shoulders. As she was pushing I was falling off my bed until I was completely knocked out.
“I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was completely knocked out for like two weeks. After I woke up, my hands and veins were swollen.
“A few weeks later, when someone started saying something about me, I called and asked if I could get that sleeping injection. One pack was N60,000. I think I paid N720,000 to her.
“She would sometimes send it to me or come do it herself. I got nurses who are injecting me every night.
“At some point, one dose stopped working for me. I started using two doses and more. Sometimes I do five at once.
“And that was when my body started jacking like I had epilepsy. And then foam was now coming out my mouth.
“Cocaine makes you hyper. Drugs make you low. After that initial feeling that the injection is sweet.
“When you wake up you feel one kind of depression. You even feel worse every time you wake up. I feel like crap.
“One time I got fed up and I just wanted to die. I was just tired. I knew what five doses did to me. So, I purposely injected myself with 10 doses.
“When my workers found me I was not breathing. I did the injection myself and used a very big vein on my wrist.
“I was becoming unconscious and the needle fell out, and blood from the big vein was gushing out. It was a horrific sight to see.
“Next thing, I just saw myself in a white environment with big machines and doctors are trying to bring me back to life. And I said I am still not dead?”
