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From Corruption to Cannabis: As Governor Yusuf Puts Muhiyi, Anti-Graft Czar, in Charge of Kano Drug Crackdown

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"8xdyfkq7" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Abba Anwar<&sol;p><div class&equals;"39VckxVL" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Praised by the activities of the former Executive Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission&comma; Barrister Muhiyi Magaji Rimingado&comma; Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf appointed him to lead a high powered Anti-Drug Task Force to dismantle drugs network in the state&period; Special Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>From the nature of the appointment and how it was announced&comma; it is evidently clear that the governor is extremely worried about the position of the state in the drug abuse rating&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As Kano tops the list in North West and second to Lagos across the nation&period; In the zone Kano is rated at 16&period;0&percnt; prevalence with 1&comma;070&comma;000 users&period; While Zamfara state is rated 13&period;5&percnt;&comma; with 312&comma;000 users&period; Kebbi state 12&period;6&percnt;&comma; with 286&comma;000 users&period; As Katsina state has 12&period;0&percnt;&comma; with 481&comma;000 users&period; For Kaduna state it is 10&period;0&percnt;&comma; with 462&comma;000 users&period; As Sokoto state records 9&period;0&percnt;&comma; with 230&comma;000 users&period; And Jigawa state is rated 7&period;0&percnt;&comma; with 211&comma;000 users&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"X1VoUXPI" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>The Kano&&num;8217&semi;s 16&percnt; prevalence&comma; with 1&comma;070&comma;000 users is dated back to 2018 when the Executive Chairman of National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency &lpar;NDLEA&rpar; Gen Muhammad Buba Marwa &lpar;rtd&rpar;&comma; quoted from the 2018 UNODC National Drug Use Survey&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Governor Yusuf is disturbed with the result of Operation Sharar Mafaka&comma; by NDLEA Kano Strategic Command&comma; where 52 suspects were captured in 2 days&comma; April 2026&period; Also also from 2020-202&comma; 8&comma;983&period;5kg were seized&comma; 286 arrested and 78 convicted&period; As verified by NDLEA Kano Commander Isah Likita Muhammed&comma; as reported by Voice of Nigeria&period; It is equally disturbing to know that in 2025 Kano made 1&comma;389 arrests with 7&comma;773&period;06kg that were seized and 94 rehabilitated&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Governor Yusuf knows clearly the<br &sol;>&NewLine;key trends and what data reveals&period; For example South-West and North-West are hotspots when it comes to drug abuse&comma; business and distribution network&period; Lagos with 33&percnt;&comma; Oyo with 24&percnt; and Kano with 16&percnt;&period; As highest state rates on record&comma; the South-West overall is at 22&period;4&percnt;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Worried by these disturbing scenarios&comma; Kano Governor vows to fight the syndicate&comma; network&comma; usage and other related criminalities attached to drug abuse&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Not only the political will&comma; he shops for a very strongly minded&comma; virile&comma; no-nonsense&comma; committed to the core and fearless citizen to crush the network and other related activities&period; Hence the appointment of Barrister Rimingado&comma; a known and a fearless anti-graft Czar&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The name of Rimingado alone sends shivers to many shameless people who benefit from the network of drug abuse and marketing&period; Yes&comma; the Governor did his best in the past&comma; it is more glaring now that people believe he is all out to crush the menace&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Barrister Rimingado&&num;8217&semi;s uncompromising posture and his patriotic commitment to serve his people in cleansing the system&comma; make his appointment to be seen as one of the best appointments in the life of this administration in Kano&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is without any doubt to believe that&comma; the newly appointed Chairman of the Task Force&comma; has toiled hard to build his reputation&period; The way I know and understand him&comma; I&&num;8217&semi;m rest assured that he will not dent the image and reputation&period; He will definitely work hard to further consolidate his hard earned reputation&period; No two ways about it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In a press release issued by the Governor&&num;8217&semi;s spokesman Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa recently&comma; it is clear that&comma; the Task Force is an all-encompassing effort aimed at fiercely fighting drug abuse and businesses&period; Part of the release says&comma; &&num;8220&semi;The state government established the task force to provide a coordinated multi-agency framework aimed at disrupting illicit drug networks&comma; accelerating prosecution of offenders and reducing drug demand through sustained advocacy and public enlightenment campaigns&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Task Force&&num;8217&semi;s terms of reference gives a good picture of what will be the talk of the town&comma; as soon as they start implementation&period; I find this part interesting&comma; as part of the terms of reference&comma; that&comma; &&num;8220&semi;Under its terms of reference&comma; the task force is expected to strengthen intelligence gathering and information sharing among security agencies&comma; identify and dismantle drug trafficking networks&comma; establish secure communication channels for intelligence operations&comma; and encourage community participation through confidential reporting mechanisms&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When I read&comma; from the release that&comma; &&num;8220&semi;&&num;8230&semi; the task force will develop mechanisms to ensure speedy prosecution of suspects through improved evidence gathering&comma; standardized forensic procedures and collaboration with the judiciary for the establishment of fast-track courts to handle drug-related cases&comma;&&num;8221&semi; I laughed in joy and said&comma; Barrister Tsayayye is bouncing back again&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Without any fear of mincing words&comma; I can assure all that&comma; when Rimingado strikes positive outcomes will be the product&period; It is not an overstatement when I say&comma; as we are inching towards 2027 general election&comma; the visibility and enhanced capacity of this Task Force will&comma; for sure&comma; add good substance to the struggle for votes for the ruling All Progressives Congress &lpar;APC&rpar; in Kano&period; The issue of drug abuse and business&comma; has for long been a clog in Kano’s wheel&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Truly&comma; Governor Yusuf’s political will in appointing Barrister Muhiyi Rimingado is a landmark of this administration&period; Should this fight succeed&comma; In Sha Allah&comma; the APC will keep its place as the darling of Kano people — beyond party lines&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Rimingado alone cannot make it to the promised edge&period; Hence good team is a prerequisite for good result and stronger effort&period; The Governor therefore makes an interesting and good choice in the membership of the Task Force&period; When they work hand in hand&comma; in synergy&comma; with Barrister Rimingado&comma; history will always remember them&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Your Excellency Sir&comma; Pharm Ahmad Gana&comma; a renowned fighter against drug abuse in Kano and the North&comma; can make a good member of this all-important Task Force&period; He headed similar Task Force in the past&period; His records are there&period; I&&num;8217&semi;m pretty sure Barrister Rimingado will enjoy working with him&period; As a member of the Task Force or as an Adviser&period; He is an asset when it comes to fight against drug abuse&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I enjoy this part of the terms of reference&comma; which says&comma; &&num;8220&semi;The committee is also mandated to identify major drug distribution points across the state&comma; facilitate targeted raids and arrests&comma; and recommend measures for the seizure of assets linked to drug trafficking activities&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I rest my case&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Anwar writes from Kano<br &sol;>&NewLine;Saturday&comma; 27th June&comma; 2026<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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