The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has withheld the names of an unspecified number of candidates seeking elective positions in the January 16, 2021 local government elections in Kano, who failed a compulsory drug test.

NDLEA commandant in Kano, Ibrahim Abdul, told the News Agency of Nigeria that at least 250 aspirants were tested for consumption of illicit drugs in compliance with the directive of the state government, out of which an undisclosed number returned positive.

“We have so far screened over 250 candidates both for the chairmanship, deputy chairmanship and councillorship positions,” NAN quoted Mr. Abdul to have said on Friday.

“We found some of them with symptoms of drug abuse, we will not tell you their names or local governments,” he added, while noting that the federal agency would write to relevant authorities for further actions.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had earlier directed all contestants in the forthcoming local government polls to subject themselves to a compulsory drug test, a statement issued on the state government’s website on November 26 said.

Mr. Ganduje hinged the anti-doping regulation on his administration’s commitment to purge political leaders in the state of drug abuse.

The governor threatened disciplinary measures and compulsory recommendation for rehabilitation against officials found with traces of illicit substances.

A report recently released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, ranked Nigeria as the highest in drug use prevalence rate in the world.

The report noted that with 14.4 million drug users, Nigeria accounts for 14.3 percent prevalence rate as against 5.3 percent of the entire global community.