Kano task force confiscates illicit, expired drugs worth over N1.5bn

By Hassan Sale

The Kano State Government Task Force Committee on Motor Parks and Other Public Places has confiscated illicit, expired and counterfeit drugs valued at over N1.5bn from the Kanawa Pharmaceutical Coordinated Wholesale Centre in Dan-Gwauro, Kumbotso Local Government Area.

SolaceBase reports that the operation followed a formal notification from the market leadership indicating their readiness to hand over the seized drugs to the government for destruction.

However, the committee had also been informed by its undercover agents of some illicit drugs in the market.

Hence a raid was carried out late Tuesday night during which members of the committee forced open a storage facility located within the office of the market, where they discovered a large stock of illicit drugs of Hyxul worth over N1 billion.

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The Chairman of the market, Alhaji Husaini Labaran Zakari, had earlier handed over a separate batch of confiscated and expired drugs.

Zakari explained that some of the drugs were confiscated by the market authorities, while others were voluntarily surrendered by their owners.

He added that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had been notified and was monitoring the situation.

“I personally delivered a carton of the seized drugs to the Secretary to the Kano State Government as evidence of our commitment to sanitising the market,” Zakari said.

Receiving the consignment, the Chairman of the Committee, retired Major Adamu Abubakar Usman, said the volume of the confiscated drugs was significant.

“The seized drugs filled an entire trailer. They will be handed over to the state government for appropriate action,” he said.

He explained that the task force committee was established by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to strengthen efforts against drug abuse and trafficking in Kano State, noting that the operation aligns with the administration’s zero-tolerance stance on illicit substances.

Major Usman further disclosed that part of the intelligence that led to the raid came from confidential sources, while additional information was provided by the market leadership.

He called on traders across the state to support government efforts, urging them to provide credible information that would aid the fight against the circulation of dangerous and counterfeit drugs.

The confiscated items were later loaded onto a trailer and transported to the Kano State Government House for further processing and disposal.