NDLEA destroys 12.2 tonnes of illicit drugs in Kano

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has publicly destroyed 12,233.946 kilograms (about 12.234 tonnes) of illicit drugs seized during operations across Kano State and at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport.

The exercise, carried out by the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command on Monday, involved cannabis, heroin, cocaine, tramadol, codeine, methamphetamine, and other narcotic and psychotropic substances confiscated through intelligence-led operations and forfeited by the courts.

The agency disclosed this in a statement signed by Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari, Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics and the command’s Media and Advocacy Officer.

The statement said the destruction was led by the Commander of the Kano Strategic Command, CN Dahiru Yahaya Lawal, as part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.

“The seized consignments resulted from intelligence-led operations, targeted raids and sustained enforcement across the state, including Operations Sharar Mafaka and Ramadan Mubarak. Investigations exposed sophisticated concealment, including tunnels and caves in the Rimin Kebe area, underscoring the lengths traffickers will go to evade detection and the need for coordinated action to eliminate their hideouts,” it stated.

The command disclosed that since January 2026, it has arrested 904 suspects, comprising 869 men and 35 women, seized more than 2.5 tonnes of illicit substances, and secured over 54 convictions, with some offenders receiving prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Representing the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, the Director of Operations and General Investigations, DCGN Ahmed Suleiman Ningi, described the public destruction as “justice made visible.”

He said the exercise sends a strong warning to drug trafficking syndicates and reflects the agency’s determination to protect communities through strict enforcement, supply-chain monitoring, alternative development programmes for farmers, and drug integrity testing on campuses.

The Kano State government also pledged continued support for the anti-drug campaign, saying the public destruction demonstrates the state’s resolve to prevent criminal networks from harming communities while combining enforcement with rehabilitation and youth reintegration programmes.