THE Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking says it has arrested more than 380 suspects and secured over 230 convictions within two months of its inauguration.
Chairman of the task force, Rimin Gado, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Kano on the activities and achievements of the committee since its inauguration on July 22, 2026.
He said the arrests followed joint operations carried out to dismantle drug joints and other criminal hideouts across the state.
“Within this period, the committee carried out several joint dislodgment operations to dismantle drug joints where miscreants gather, take illicit substances, before engaging in mindless thuggery, phone snatching and other crimes and social vices,” Gado said.
He listed Race Course, Filin Idi, Filin Mahaha, Tashar Rami, Kawo and Tashar Rimi among the areas where the operations were conducted.
According to him, the operations led to the recovery of various illicit substances, including Cannabis Sativa, Exol-5, Diazepam, Pentazocine, Tramadol and Pregabalin capsules.
The chairman also disclosed that the task force recovered locally made weapons, including knives, cutlasses, daggers and clubs, from suspected drug dealers and thugs.
Gado expressed concern over the alleged diversion of controlled medicines, revealing that about 870,000 Pregabalin capsules were seized from a pharmaceutical company in the state.
“We must express deep concern about evidence that controlled drugs are being diverted from legitimate supply chains and sold illicitly to young people in our communities,” he said.
He urged pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists and other stakeholders to strengthen their internal controls and cooperate with investigations.
The chairman further disclosed that 43 underage children rescued from drug-related exploitation had received medical attention, counselling and treatment.
He said two dealers, Kabiru Isa, popularly known as Mada, and Usman Hamisu, known as Mani, were convicted for exposing the children, who were engaged in street scavenging, to intoxicants.
“Some families have already been identified and reunited,” he said.
Gado also disclosed that the task force had prosecuted a former chairman of Rogo Local Government Area, Yahuza Musa, over an allegation involving the illegal administration and supply of Pentazocine.
He said the case followed a complaint involving the alleged administration of the injection to a 63-year-old woman, alongside allegations by a 24-year-old man who claimed to have spent ₦10 million and given a plot of land to purchase the substance.
The chairman said the case was before a competent court and remained ongoing.
On the fight against thuggery, Gado said several suspected gang members had been arrested and convicted, including Abdullahi Ahmad, also known as Horror; Abubakar Sada, known as Daburi; Abdullahi Sani, known as Sarki Ale; and Umar Aliyu.
He also announced the arrest and conviction of a member of a phone-snatching syndicate known as “Yan Liya”, with the task force securing the forfeiture of a tricycle allegedly used in the crimes.
“The Task Force will not only arrest the rider, but will secure forfeiture of the tricycle itself. No instrument of crime will be returned,” he said.
Beyond enforcement, the chairman said the task force had referred about 125 people for rehabilitation at the Kano State Reformatory Institute in Kiru.
He said growing demand for rehabilitation had filled the Kiru facility to capacity, prompting Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to provide an additional facility in Tofa Local Government Area.
Gado said the task force was targeting 10,000 youths for rehabilitation, skills acquisition and reintegration into society.
“Our target is to sweep 10,000 youths off the streets, rehabilitate them, and train them in skills acquisition, so that they can go back into the society fully informed, reformed, and as people of trust and confidence to the community,” he said.
He said the task force would continue working with industrial stakeholders to create employment and productive opportunities for rehabilitated youths.
The chairman commended security agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, KOSSAP, Vigilante, Hisbah and the Kano Road Traffic Agency, as well as civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions and the media, for their support.
He said the task force’s activities were part of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s efforts to achieve a drug-free Kano under the Kano First Agenda.