By Atoyebi Nike
The Ogun State Government has issued a strong warning to young people to avoid the dangerous drug trend known as “bluetoothing,” a practice where individuals inject themselves with the blood of someone who has recently taken drugs in an attempt to “share the high.”
Dr. Kehinde Fatungase, Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Agency for the Control of AIDS, described the trend as deadly and severely harmful to public health. In a statement released in Abeokuta on Thursday, he said the practice exposes users to HIV, Hepatitis B and C, severe infections, and life-threatening reactions.
He urged youths to seek help at the state’s Key Population One Stop Shop in Abeokuta, where treatment and counselling services are available.
Bluetoothing also known internationally as “flashblood,” has been reported in South Africa, Tanzania, Fiji, and other countries, where it has contributed to spikes in HIV and other blood-borne infections.
Efforts to curb the trend are ongoing. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, alongside community groups and the Pyrates Confraternity, recently carried out over 125 sensitization campaigns across communities, schools, and religious centres, reaching more than 30,000 people.
The state’s Ministry of Sports Development is also partnering with youth-led NGOs such as the Drug Free Project to use sports-based programmes for awareness and rehabilitation.
