After Senate Ticket Loss, Zaura Lands Key Role in Kano Anti-Drug Task Force
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — Abdulkarim Abdulsalam Zaura, a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who recently fell short in his bid to secure the party’s ticket for Kano Central Senatorial District, has been appointed a member of a high-powered task force to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Kano State.
Zaura’s appointment by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was announced on Thursday as part of the constitution of a 20-member Special Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, chaired by the immediate past Executive Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado.
The development places the businessman and politician at the centre of one of the state’s most strategic interventions aimed at tackling the growing challenge of substance abuse and drug-related crimes, particularly among young people.
According to a statement issued by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Government House Kano, Mr. Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the task force is expected to provide a coordinated framework for intelligence gathering, disruption of drug trafficking networks, public enlightenment campaigns and the prosecution of offenders.
The committee comprises representatives of key security agencies, health institutions, traditional and religious bodies, as well as civil society organisations, reflecting what the government described as a multi-sectoral approach to addressing the drug menace.
Governor Yusuf, while announcing the initiative, described drug abuse as one of the gravest threats confronting the future of Kano’s youths and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deploying all available resources to curb the menace.
He charged members of the task force to discharge their responsibilities with “commitment, professionalism and patriotism” in order to safeguard the future of the state.
The task force is expected to immediately commence operations aimed at reducing drug demand, dismantling trafficking networks and strengthening rehabilitation efforts across Kano.