Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
The Kano State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it intercepted a Toyota
Sequia Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) loaded with 223kg compressed cannabis sativa in the state.
The state Commander of NDLEA, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, disclosed this at a press briefing in commemoration of International Day against Drug and Illicit Trafficking 2020 held at his office yesterday.
The commander said the vehicle was intercepted during a coordinated operation conducted on Kano-Zaria road, where the car was intercepted with 300 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 223kg tucked inside the vehicle’s engine and tank.
He said the driver of the SUV identified as Osaye, has been arrested and would be prosecuted after investigation.
“Worthy of note also is a syndicate of drug barons (a male and female), who deals in cocaine, apprehended with cocaine weighing 100 grammes,” he disclosed.
Abdul, however, stated that the command had seized over 2.8 tons of illegal drugs within the COVID-19 lockdown period in the state.
He explained that apart from the 1.6 tons seized by the command, it also received transfers of 1.2 tons of illegal drugs seized by its sister agencies-police, Customs and vigilance groups within the lockdown period.
Giving updates about the command’s activities, ranging from operations, seizure, arrest, prosecution and drug
demands reduction from June 2019 to date, the Commander said 565 suspects, out of which 549 are male while 16 are female, had been arrested.
He added that the command had succeeded in seizing 7,873.937kg of illegal drugs that include cannabis
sativa, psychotropic, cocaine, heroin among others.
Abdul also stated that the command had secured 85 convictions while 76 cases are pending in the court.
While commanding the command’s sister agencies for the synergy which led to many arrests and seizures during the lockdown period and beyond, Abdul noted that the fight against drug abuse and trafficking requires “collective efforts by all and sundry.”
He, however, decried that the command faces a lot of logistics and financial challenges that needed to be surmounted, which according to him, included lack of manpower, shortage of logistics, lack of enough facilities to accommodate the teaming addict that requires counselling and rehabilitation, among others.
