The Katsina State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has convicted 87 illicit drug barons and arrested 1,018 suspects in 2025.

The state narcotic commander (NC), Isma’il Danmalam, made this known on Tuesday in Katsina while briefing journalists on the activities of the command in the year under review.

Mr Danmalam said that 86 suspects were still undergoing trial.

He said that out of the 1,018 suspects arrested, 992 were males and 26 were females.

According to him, more than 2.4 tonnes of different illicit drugs were confiscated in the year under review.

He commended the chairman of the agency, Buba Marwa, for motivating the officers in recording the successes.

“These achievements are clearly reflected in the operations of the command through a balanced application of supply reduction (kinetic) and demand reduction (non-kinetic) strategies.

“These operations led to the seizure of substantial quantities of illicit substances, including 1,667.747 kg of cannabis, 12.348 kg of codeine psychotropic substances, and 793.66 kg,” he said.

He said the command conducted 203 sensitisation and advocacy programmes that reached 75,135 beneficiaries across schools, communities, and institutions.

He  said about 451 individuals received counseling, while 58 clients were admitted for rehabilitation

“This demonstrated NDLEA’s commitment to prevention, treatment, and reintegration.” he said

He, however, said that despite these achievements, the command has continuously faced logistical challenges that affect operational efficiency.

The narcotic commander appealed to stakeholders and the government to support the command to overcome its challenges for maximum results.

Stressing that the fight against drugs requires collective responsibility, he called on communities to support information sharing, advocacy, and community policing to sustain the fight.

The commander used the occasion to decorate some of the 61 personnel recently promoted in the command. 

(NAN)