Kano Mulls Compulsory Drug Test For Civil Servants, Tertiary Students


Posted on: Sat 27-06-2020

Kano State government has disclosed plans to introduce compulsory drug test for civil servants and students seeking admission into tertiary institutions to curb drug addition in the state.

Besides, the state government has declared that preparations were ongoing for the establishment of a State Drug Administration Agency to strengthen the fight against trafficking in illicit drugs in Kano.

In his message to mark this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse through his Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje noted that his administration was embarking on aggressive public campaign on the negative impact of drug addition.

He restated the commitment of the administration to support drug management agencies to rid the state of the menace. Ganduje urged the mainstream and social media to support government agencies in the campaign against drug abuse.

The governor, who expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the anti-drug agencies, added that the state Task Force on Drug Abuse had intercepted and destroyed illicit drugs worth over N1 billion.

The Governor commended the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for choosing Kano to host its North West Zonal Office and appointment of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), Habeeb Yahaya Hotoro, as its coordinator.

Meanwhile, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that it seized seven tonnes of illicit substances in Kano during the lockdown period.

NDLEA Commander in Kano, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, made the disclosure yesterday at a press conference to commemorate 2020 International Day Against Drug Abuse. Abdul revealed that despite the enforcement of interstate movement restrictions, the Command intercepted a Toyota Jeep loaded with about 300 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 223kg on Kano-Zaria highway.

Source: Guardian