No fewer than 1,064 suspects were arrested with 7.5 tonnes of illicit drugs between June 2022 and June 2023 in the state, said the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Kano.

This is contained in a statement issued by the NDLEA Acting Public Relations Officer, ASN ll Sadiq Maigatari, to mark UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking in Kano on Saturday.

The theme for the year 2023 is: “People first: stop stigma and discrimination, strengthen prevention.”

According to him, drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking are global issues that threaten the health and well-being of individuals and the society as a whole.

He said the suspects arrested comprise 1,001 males and 63 females.

Mr Maigatari said the total drugs seized within the period under review is 7,530.813kg of drugs, which is made up of 5,228.673kg of cannabis, 2096.837kg of psychotropic, 47.013kg cocaine and 65.24kg of heroin.

He added that during the period under review, the Command secured 111 convictions, while 126 cases are still pending in court.

“In our Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) activities, we admitted 96 clients and conducted 1,081 brief interventions which included 701 males and 380 females.”

He commended the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer NDLEA, Retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, for his unwavering support, which has helped the agency achieve a huge success.

Mr Maigatari said, “We commend the Kano State government, the Chairmen of Rano and Tudun Wada Local Governments, Emir of Rano, NGOs and sister security agencies for their support in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

“NDLEA is working tirelessly to combat drug trafficking and abuse. We must all come together to address this problem and put people first.

“We will continue to enforce the law and bring drug traffickers to justice, but we will also work to treat people who use drugs with compassion and respect.

“On this World Drug Day, let us renew our commitment to stopping the stigma and discrimination against drug users and strengthen prevention measures to ensure that people’s lives come first,” the statement said. 

(NAN)