Politicians who provide drugs to adolescents or use them to intimidate opponents have been cautioned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, or NDLEA, to stop doing so or face the full weight of the law.
The agency, according to Abubakar Idris Ahmad, the Kano State Commander, will not sit back and watch irresponsible politicians incite violence during the next 2023 elections.
On Thursday, during the NDLEA’s Kano State Command headquarters’ annual press briefing, he brought up this subject in response to inquiries from newsmen.
“There are some unpatriotic politicians that willfully deploy drugged adolescents against their political rivals. The Command will see to it that it confronts individuals involved in the ongoing electoral processes and ensures a peaceful election.
He also stated that the command has seized drugs worth N1.2 billion in Kano and is striving to ensure that it discourages the illegal business in the state.
Earlier in his address, he described the fight against drug abuse as multifaceted and requires all hands on deck to succeed.
“Fighting drug menace requires collective efforts from all and sundry. On this note, I call on the state government and other relevant stakeholders to continue to support our efforts to meet the requirements of our statutory responsibilities in addressing the supply and demand reduction engagements.
“As we continue to approach the 2023 general election, we will continue to advocate for a peaceful election to promote an enduring culture of peace in the state, as the correlation between drugs and crime generally can never be overemphasized.
“I want to categorically say that there is no crime without drugs and therefore curbing its menace in the state will bring ease to policing before, during, and after the election, he added.
The Kano command further revealed that it has arrested a total of 1,078 suspects, among who are 951 males and 127 females. More so, a total seizure of 8,386.73kg of illicit drugs was made in 2022 by the command.
In the same year under review, the command achieved 113 convictions out of the 172 suspects that were charged to court for drug-related crimes in Kano