NDLEA Seizes 9,075kg Illicit Drugs, Arrests 1,035 Suspects in Kano

By Ahmed Rahma

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kano State said it seized 9,075grams of illicit drugs in 2020.

The NDLEA Commander in the state, Dr Ibrahim Abdul, disclosed this on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mr Abdul stated that they have also arrested no fewer than 1,035 suspected drug traffickers in the year, out of which 87 have been convicted.

“During the year under review, we were able to intercept 7,108.7 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, 1,966.3 kilogrammes of Psychotropics and 0.138 kilogrammes of Cocaine.

“We were also able to refer 998 drug users for brief intervention (counselling), another 40 regular clients have been admitted, while 44 were discharged after undergoing counselling,” he said.

Mr Abdul also said that the agency had successfully screened all the candidates for the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for January 16, 2021.

The news agency reports that Kano government, with a view to ensuring that no drug addict was elected into any public offices, had ordered that all candidates for the local government poll must undergo a drug test.

The NDLEA boss commended the state government and other stakeholders, including traditional, religious and community leaders for their support in the fight against drug abuse.

The successes recorded by the agency were due to the tireless efforts of its officers and men across the state, he said.

He urged his officers, men and other stakeholders to continue to give the command all the necessary support to end drug trafficking, especially among the youths.