By TheDailyNewsHub News Desk | October 1, 2026
The Kano State Government says its intensified campaign against drug abuse, illicit trafficking and related criminal activities has resulted in more than 380 arrests and over 230 convictions within its first two months.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf disclosed the figures on Thursday, October 1, during his address at the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium in Kano.
The governor said the state government established the Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in July 2026 and issued an Executive Order to strengthen enforcement against illicit substances, thuggery and other criminal activities.
Yusuf added that the task force had dismantled several drug joints and criminal hideouts across the state as part of its operations.
The figures are consistent with those announced earlier by the task force chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado, at a press briefing in Kano on September 22. Rimin-Gado said the committee had recorded more than 380 arrests and over 230 convictions since its inauguration on July 22.
The operations have reportedly targeted locations identified as hotspots for drug abuse and related offences, including Race Course, Filin Idi, Filin Mahaha, Tashar Rami, Kawo and Tashar Rimi.
According to the task force chairman, substances recovered during the operations included cannabis, Tramadol, Diazepam, Pentazocine, Pregabalin and Exol-5. The committee also reported recovering locally made weapons, including knives, cutlasses, daggers and clubs.
One of the major seizures disclosed by Rimin-Gado was approximately 870,000 Pregabalin capsules recovered from a pharmaceutical company in the state. He raised concerns about the alleged diversion of controlled medicines from legitimate distribution channels into illicit markets and called on pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders to strengthen their internal controls.
The task force also reported interventions involving vulnerable children. Rimin-Gado said 43 underage children rescued from drug-related exploitation had received medical attention, counselling and treatment. He identified two dealers, Kabiru Isa, popularly known as Mada, and Usman Hamisu, known as Mani, as having been convicted for exposing the children to intoxicating substances.
The chairman said efforts were being made to reunite the children with their families, with some reunifications already completed.
Beyond arrests and prosecution, the state government has also included rehabilitation and reintegration in the campaign. Rimin-Gado disclosed that about 125 people had been referred to the Kano State Reformatory Institute in Kiru for rehabilitation. He said the facility had reached capacity, prompting the provision of an additional centre in Tofa Local Government Area.
The task force has set a target of reaching 10,000 youths through rehabilitation, skills acquisition and reintegration programmes. The chairman said the committee intended to work with relevant industrial stakeholders to help rehabilitated individuals access productive opportunities.
Although the governor presented the arrest and conviction figures as part of the campaign’s progress, the task force’s wider mandate covers drug-related offences as well as associated activities such as thuggery and phone snatching. The aggregate conviction figure should therefore not be interpreted as meaning that all the convictions were exclusively for drug trafficking or drug possession.
Yusuf, in his Independence Day address, described the campaign as a collective responsibility involving government institutions, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, communities and residents.
He urged young people to avoid drug abuse, violence and criminal activities, encouraging them instead to pursue education, agriculture, technology, entrepreneurship, vocational training and opportunities in the creative industries.
The governor also pledged continued support for security agencies and stronger community-based intelligence efforts, while acknowledging the need to address social conditions that contribute to crime and insecurity.
The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force operates with the involvement of security and enforcement institutions, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Correctional Service, alongside other state and community stakeholders.
The latest figures indicate the scale of the state government’s reported enforcement activity since July. However, the longer-term impact of the initiative will also depend on sustained prevention, access to treatment, effective prosecution, rehabilitation and measures that reduce the conditions driving drug abuse and related crime.