Kano Anti-Drug Agency Rescues 43 Children, Jails Two Over Street Drug Network
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has rescued 43 vulnerable children from the streets and secured the conviction of two men for supplying intoxicating substances to underage scavengers.
The convicted men, Kabiru Isa (Mada) and Usman Hamisu (Mani), were sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment each by Magistrate Muhammad Alhaji Sani of Magistrate Court No. 44, Gwammaja, after they were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, membership of an unlawful society and administering intoxicating substances.
Investigations by the Task Force revealed that the victims, mostly underage children operating around the Race Course area of Kano, were allegedly compensated with rubber solution and other intoxicants instead of cash for scavenging activities, exposing them to substance abuse and deepening their vulnerability.
Chairman of the Task Force, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji, said the operation formed part of a broader campaign to dismantle criminal networks that prey on vulnerable children while protecting young people from drug abuse.
He disclosed that the 43 rescued children, drawn from Kano and other states, would undergo medical assessment, psychosocial support, rehabilitation and skills acquisition as part of the state’s ambitious programme to remove 10,000 vulnerable youths from the streets.
Magaji stressed that the agency would combine strict law enforcement with prevention, treatment and reintegration, warning that anyone involved in supplying intoxicating substances to children would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
He also called on parents, traditional institutions and community leaders to collaborate with government agencies, insisting that the fight against drug abuse requires a collective societal response.