…43 children arrested as authorities target 2,500 minors, 10,000 adult addicts
Zainab Abioye
The Kano State Multi-Agency Taskforce on Drug Abuse and Trafficking has uncovered an alarming pattern of substance abuse involving minors, with 43 children arrested for drug-related offences and other crimes across the state.
The development, according to the taskforce, has exposed the growing recruitment of children into illicit activities, including the distribution of prohibited substances and theft.
Chairman of the taskforce, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, disclosed this in an interview with Daily Trust, saying two adults had been convicted and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment each for recruiting minors into drug abuse and related criminal activities.
He said the affected children were arrested in several locations, including Sabon Gari, Gadar Lado, Unguwa Uku and Kofar Ruwa motor parks, as well as other locations identified as gathering points within the Kano metropolis.
Rimingado said the taskforce’s findings showed that some of the children were not only using illicit substances but were also being exploited by adults to commit crimes.
“Apart from consumption, these children were also recruited into other crimes including theft and delivery of illicit substances. So far, we have convicted two adults who were found guilty of engaging the minors as drug peddlers,” he said.
The chairman disclosed that the taskforce had, within 40 days of its operations, secured the conviction of more than 200 offenders for offences connected with drug abuse and trafficking.
He added that the agency had conducted about 100 raids on locations where suspected drug users and traffickers operated, leading to the arrest of dozens of suspects and the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and other prohibited substances.
According to him, preliminary investigations indicate that many of the minors found in Kano came from neighbouring states, including Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara and Adamawa.
He said some of the children had been taking shelter in motor parks, under bridges, schools and other public structures, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and criminal recruitment.
The taskforce chairman said the scale of the problem had prompted the state government to expand its enforcement operation, revealing that the agency was targeting the arrest of 2,500 minor drug addicts within the next two weeks.
This, he said, would be in addition to the government’s target of identifying and tackling drug addiction among 10,000 adults in the state.
Rimingado, however, stressed that enforcement alone would not end the growing problem, urging parents, guardians and members of the public to take greater responsibility for protecting children from substance abuse and criminal exploitation.
He said the Kano State Government was committed not only to disrupting drug trafficking networks but also to rehabilitating affected persons and reintegrating them into society.
The latest development has heightened concerns over the vulnerability of children living or spending extended periods around motor parks, bridges, schools and other public spaces, particularly where they lack adequate parental care and protection.
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