Sixty days into his leadership of the newly established Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado is leading an expanded campaign that increasingly moves beyond conventional arrests and raids to intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination, prosecution, rehabilitation, and community engagement.
Since the task force was inaugurated in July, a succession of activities reported by SolaceBase has shown an administration attempting to confront drug abuse not only as a criminal justice problem but also as a public health, youth and social development challenge.
The task force’s activities have included raids on suspected drug hotspots, arrests and prosecution of suspects, cooperation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the creation of specialised committees, plans to deploy artificial intelligence in tracking drug dealers and pharmaceutical sales, and proposals for rehabilitation centres across Kano’s three senatorial zones.Sports news
The breadth of the approach has also earned Muhuyi recognition from the NDLEA, which named him a War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) Ambassador in August, citing his efforts to promote inter-agency collaboration, public awareness, community mobilisation and coordinated action.Kano local news
The development is significant for Kano, where drug abuse has increasingly been associated with concerns about youth vulnerability, street crime, violence and social instability.
Muhuyi’s appointment came against the background of growing concern over the scale of drug abuse in the state.Government
A SolaceBase opinion published shortly before the task force’s inauguration cited the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which estimated Kano’s prevalence at 16 per cent, representing about 1.07 million users.
The figures are historical rather than a current prevalence estimate, but they illustrate the scale of the problem that informed the government’s intervention.
After his appointment, Muhuyi quickly outlined a strategy that combined enforcement with intelligence, prevention, and rehabilitation.
One of the earliest indications of that approach came on August 3, when he announced plans to deploy artificial intelligence to track drug dealers and monitor pharmaceutical sales.
The proposed technology-driven system suggested that the task force intended to look beyond street-level enforcement and examine how drugs move through commercial and pharmaceutical channels.
SolaceBase reported the proposal as an initiative, meaning its announcement should be distinguished from evidence that the system had already become operational. The task force also moved to deepen cooperation with agencies already involved in the drug-control effort.
During a familiarisation visit to the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command in August, the agency pledged stronger collaboration with the task force. NDLEA officials stressed that the drug problem required an approach beyond arrests and seizures, including prevention, education and community engagement.Kano local news
That partnership subsequently produced institutional recognition when the NDLEA Zone 5 Command honoured Muhuyi as a WADA Ambassador.
Rather than presenting the recognition as proof that the drug problem had been solved, Muhuyi described it as a greater responsibility and stressed that no single agency or individual could win the war against drug abuse alone.
Another feature of Muhuyi’s first two months has been the attempt to give the task force an institutional structure.
On August 22, he inaugurated nine subcommittees charged with strengthening different aspects of the campaign against drug abuse and trafficking.
The development is important because a drug-control campaign that depends entirely on the activities of one chairman or periodic security operations is unlikely to become sustainable.
The broader structure envisaged by the task force includes intelligence, public sensitisation, community participation, enforcement, rehabilitation and coordination with other institutions.
The proposed Forward Operating Base is another part of that strategy. According to information gathered in September, preparations were underway for a mechanism where information concerning drug abuse, marketing, production and criminal hideouts could be received around the clock, including through call centres.
Again, this remains a planned mechanism rather than an established achievement, but it illustrates the direction in which the task force says it wants to move.
The enforcement side of the campaign has been extensive. The task force has reported more than 200 raids and more than 200 convictions within 45 days, with four mobile courts established to facilitate quicker prosecution.
The operations have also targeted particular hotspots and alleged supply networks.
One of the most prominent cases involves Yahuza Musa, a former chairman of Rogo Local Government Area, who was arrested following an undercover operation over allegations concerning the illegal sale and administration of fentanyl injections to young people.
Muhuyi said the investigation began after the task force arrested a young man whose hand had allegedly deteriorated severely following injections.
The young man allegedly identified Musa as the source of the substance, leading to the undercover operation and subsequent arrest.
Musa was charged under Section 249 of the Kano State Penal Code in connection with allegations involving harmful or intoxicating substances.Kano local news
The task force has demonstrated an interest in pursuing alleged suppliers through investigation and prosecution rather than limiting its operations to street-level users.
Perhaps the most consequential aspect of the new approach is the recognition that arrests alone cannot resolve Kano’s drug problem.Government
The task force has proposed a programme to rehabilitate 10,000 youths affected by drug abuse within one year.
The proposed programme would involve drug testing, detoxification and rehabilitation, followed by vocational training in areas including garment production, shoemaking, bag making, electrical work and solar technology.
The thinking behind the programme is straightforward: people trapped in substance abuse cannot simply be removed from the streets and expected to become productive without treatment, skills and an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
The proposed programme therefore attempts to distinguish between those who profit from drug trafficking and vulnerable people struggling with addiction.
That distinction is crucial. A trafficker deliberately supplying dangerous substances to young people presents a different challenge from a young person who has become dependent on those substances.
The first demands enforcement and prosecution; the second may require medical treatment, counselling, rehabilitation and economic reintegration. The task force’s proposed approach attempts to address both.
The rehabilitation strategy has also begun to take a geographical dimension. On September 4, SolaceBase reported that the task force was considering establishing ad-hoc centres across Kano North, Kano Central and Kano South to bring substance-abuse prevention and rehabilitation services closer to affected communities.Kano local news
The proposal emerged from discussions between the task force and the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Dawanau, and is intended to cover prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and community engagement.
The collaboration is significant because it places a health institution alongside security agencies in the response.
It also suggests that the task force is beginning to treat rehabilitation as a service that should be available within communities rather than something reserved for people already caught in the criminal justice system.
The human consequences of drug abuse have also featured prominently in the task force’s activities.
Among the cases reported during the period was the rescue of vulnerable children exposed to intoxicating substances and the prosecution of people accused of supplying such substances.
These cases underscore why the drug issue cannot be viewed solely through statistics on arrests and seizures.
Every arrest can represent a criminal case, but every affected young person also represents a family, a lost opportunity and potentially a future that could be recovered through timely intervention.
The experience of some families during the operations has also brought another dimension of the campaign into focus.
Some mothers were seen crying and pleading with Muhuyi after their sons were arrested, asking that their children be given another chance.
Their appeals highlight the difficult position of families confronting drug abuse. While parents may want authorities to take action against drug dealers and those who expose young people to harmful substances, they may also fear losing their own children to addiction, imprisonment or a life of crime.
This is why the rehabilitation and skills-acquisition component of the task force’s strategy is particularly important.
A young person who can be treated, rehabilitated, trained and returned to productive life represents not only an individual recovery but also relief for a family and a potential benefit to the wider community.
Muhuyi’s first 60 days have combined enforcement with institutional development in a way that has made the campaign highly visible.
His previous experience as chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission is part of the background to his appointment.
Before taking charge of the drug task force, he had become associated with investigations and enforcement in the anti-corruption sphere. SolaceBase reported that background when examining his appointment to lead the drug crackdown.
In his new role, that enforcement-oriented experience has been applied to a different problem.
The approach has so far combined raids with intelligence, prosecution with rehabilitation, and security operations with community mobilisation.
The AI proposal points towards technology, while the nine subcommittees point towards institutionalisation. The NDLEA partnership demonstrates a commitment to inter-agency coordination, while the three-zone rehabilitation proposal points towards decentralisation.
The 10,000-youth programme, meanwhile, reflects an emphasis on rehabilitation, skills development and reintegration.
Together, these initiatives suggest that the task force is trying to construct a system rather than simply conduct operations.
Parents must join the fight
For the campaign to achieve lasting results, however, the responsibility cannot rest on Muhuyi and government agencies alone.
Parents have an important role to play, particularly because they are often the first to notice changes in the behaviour of their children.
The scenes of mothers crying and pleading for their sons after arrests should also encourage families to become involved much earlier, before a young person reaches the point of arrest.
Parents should pay attention to sudden behavioural changes, new associations, unexplained spending, school absenteeism and other signs that may indicate that a child is becoming vulnerable to substance abuse.
Rather than waiting for security agencies to intervene, families should seek help from health professionals, counsellors, schools, religious institutions and other appropriate channels when they notice warning signs.
Schools also need to strengthen drug-awareness programmes, while religious and traditional leaders can use their platforms to educate young people and families about the dangers of substance abuse.
Communities, meanwhile, can support the task force by providing credible information about drug trafficking and distribution networks while allowing security agencies to conduct proper investigations.
The government should equally continue providing the resources needed for rehabilitation, treatment, intelligence gathering and public sensitisation.
The proposed rehabilitation centres across the three senatorial zones could be particularly valuable if properly funded and staffed by qualified professionals.
The planned 10,000-youth rehabilitation programme should also be supported with transparent monitoring, vocational equipment and opportunities for beneficiaries to become economically independent after treatment.
The fight against drug abuse should therefore not end with arrest or conviction. It should also create a pathway for vulnerable young people to recover, acquire skills and return to their families and communities as productive citizens.
Muhuyi’s first 60 days have put considerable energy behind Kano’s response to drug abuse.Government
The task force has moved from its inauguration to raids, arrests and prosecution while simultaneously building partnerships, establishing committees, exploring technology and developing plans for rehabilitation.
The NDLEA’s recognition of Muhuyi as a WADA Ambassador has further highlighted the emphasis being placed on collaboration and community mobilisation.
The proposed AI system needs to move from announcement to implementation. The intelligence and call-centre mechanism needs to become functional.
The proposed rehabilitation centres need adequate funding, qualified personnel and medical support. The 10,000-youth programme needs to be properly implemented and monitored.
Most importantly, parents and communities need to remain part of the campaign. Muhuyi’s first 60 days have demonstrated a clear willingness to confront drug abuse through both enforcement and broader social intervention.
The next phase should deepen that approach by strengthening rehabilitation, supporting families, expanding public enlightenment and ensuring that young people who can be helped are given a genuine opportunity to recover.
For Kano, the fight against drug abuse is ultimately a fight for its young people. And if government agencies, parents, communities, health institutions, schools, religious and traditional leaders continue to work together, the momentum generated in Muhuyi’s first 60 days can become the foundation for a sustained response to one of the state’s most pressing social challenges.
(SolaceBase)
