Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
By Abdulmumin Murtala, Kano
The Kano state governor Abdullahi Ganduje has declared drug abuse as the major crime aiding Boko Haram, banditry, thuggery, and street fights in the country while he called for all hands to be put on deck to curb the menace.
The governor stated this while delivering an address on Thursday at the public destruction of exhibits by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA in Kano.
“Drug abuse is a major crime aiding Boko Haram, banditry, thuggery, and street fights in our communities. They abuse drugs to engage in all these and many other crimes. “There is a need for all hands to be put on deck to deal with the situation and force it out of our communities” the governor stated.
He further explained that the state government is taking steps towards discouraging drug abuse by relocating all pharmacies in Kano city to the Economic City Market located at Dangwauro in the ancient city. Similarly, all relevant agencies shall be deployed to the new pharmaceutical market to ensure that no unlawful drugs are sold in the state.
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“All wholesalers and pharmaceutical dealers will very soon be relocated to the Kano Economic City Market at Dangwauro.
“More so, plans are underway to provide enough security in the new market and police, NDLEA, NAFDAC, NSCDC, and all other relevant agencies to the market to ensure that all drugs sold in Kano are lawful” Ganduje declared.
The governor also said that a bill against drug abuse shall soon be sent to the state assembly.
In his own address, the Chairman Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Col Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (Rtd) expressed dismay that the NDLEA is conducting yet another exercise for the destruction of illicit drugs within a space of three years in the Kano Command.
He explained that even as there is still 25 tons of illicit drugs in the custody of the agency awaiting forfeiture by the Court before they could be destroyed, 28,168 tons of illicit drugs were destroyed during the exercise.
“Today’s event is, however, saddening for the fact that the Agency is conducting this crucial exercise for a second time within the space of three years in a particular Command.
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“Only in November 2017, the Agency destroyed 54.244 metric tons of the illicit substances in Kano state.
“Today we are here to destroy another 28, 167. 629 tons of drugs.
“As we speak we still have about 25 tons in our custody awaiting forfeiture by the Court before public destruction” the Chairman stated.
He also praised the NDLEA in Kano for its performance in the fight against misuse of substances in the state which also indicates the sad reality that unacceptable quantities of psychoactive substances are prevalent in the state.
“In as much as this feat is a clear indication of a good performance by NDLEA, it still brings to the fore the sad reality of the extent and prevalence of these deadly substances in the state.
“Like most states of the Federation Cannabis Sativa remains a major problem since some 11,979.831 kilograms have been confiscated. “Compounding this problem in Kano is the unacceptable quantities of other psychoactive not prevalent nationally.
” Psychoactive substances account for 50 percent of all of the seized unlawful drugs standing at 16,001.249 kilograms.
“Certainly Kano has an admixture of all the drugs of concern to our national wellbeing and security.
“These include among others, Cocaine, Heroin, Ephedrine and Methamphetamine” he declared.
