The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has announced plans to take more than 10,000 drug abusers off the streets and place them in rehabilitation and skills acquisition programmes.
Chairman of the task force, Muhuyi Rimin Gado, disclosed this on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the agency’s headquarters in Kano.
Rimin Gado said the initiative is aimed at helping affected youths overcome drug dependency, acquire practical skills and successfully reintegrate into society.
He said the state government had provided an additional facility in Tofa Local Government Area to expand the capacity of the Kano State Reformatory Institute in Kiru.
According to him, the new facility will be equipped and put into operation to ensure that people seeking rehabilitation can access treatment without being turned away because of limited space.
Rimin Gado explained that the expansion became necessary following increased demand for rehabilitation services and growing public confidence in the task force’s operations.
He noted that families were increasingly bringing relatives voluntarily for treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration, resulting in the Kiru facility reaching full capacity.
The task force chairman also disclosed that about 125 people had so far been referred to the Kano Reformatory Institute for rehabilitation.
He described drug abuse as a health-related problem that requires a structured recovery process, adding that the agency was working with industrial stakeholders to create employment, vocational training and other opportunities for youths who complete rehabilitation.
Rimin Gado also disclosed that the task force recently investigated an allegation involving the illegal administration of Pentazocine to a 63-year-old woman by former Rogo Local Government Chairman, Yahuza Musa.
He said the allegation was supported by the account of a 24-year-old man who claimed to have spent more than N10 million and surrendered a plot of land to obtain the same injection from the former chairman.
According to him, the former council chairman has been charged before a competent court, where the matter is currently being heard.
Rimin Gado commended security and enforcement agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Customs Service, Correctional Service, KOSSAP, vigilante groups, Hisbah and KAROTA for their contributions to the task force’s operations.
He also appealed to residents to continue providing timely information that could assist authorities in tackling drug abuse and keeping communities safe.
