Kano Task Force Arrests Ex-LG Chairman Over Fentanyl Trafficking

The Kano State Multi-Agency Committee on illicit drugs and related offences has arrested a former chairman of Rogo Local Government Area over alleged trafficking and administration of fentanyl to young people.

The committee’s chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, disclosed the arrest to newsmen, saying the suspect was apprehended during an undercover operation launched to verify allegations that he was selling and administering the highly potent opioid.

Rimingado said the investigation was triggered by the arrest of a young man who allegedly suffered severe injuries after receiving injections from the suspect.

According to him, the victim identified the former council chairman as his source and provided information on how the alleged transactions were carried out.

The committee subsequently supplied the victim with marked money and directed him to return to the suspect while operatives monitored the transaction.

Rimingado said the suspect collected the money and asked the buyer to leave, returning later with the alleged drug concealed in an envelope and, in some instances, accompanied by a syringe.

“Our operatives moved in and arrested him as he was about to hand over the drug,” he said.

The committee chairman said the suspect initially denied knowledge of the source of the substance, claiming that he obtained it through another person at Sabon Gari Market.

However, Rimingado said investigators recovered the substance from the suspect and obtained statements from both the alleged victim and the suspect.

He said the victim told investigators that he had spent more than N2 million purchasing the substance over two years, describing the revelation as evidence of the scale of the alleged abuse.

Rimingado identified the substance as fentanyl and said the investigation also uncovered alleged regulatory violations involving a medical facility operated by the suspect.

According to him, the facility was shut down after the relevant state regulatory agency confirmed that it was not properly licensed.

He further alleged that the suspect claimed to be a nurse but could not produce a valid professional licence.

Rimingado said the suspect had previously operated a hospital in Dorayi before relocating to Bechi after the facility’s licence expired.

The committee also alleged that the suspect had performed medical procedures beyond his professional authority, including caesarean sections.

Rimingado said the former council chairman had been charged under Section 249 of the Kano State Penal Code over the alleged administration of intoxicating or harmful substances.

He added that the suspect had been taken to court and remanded in custody pending further proceedings.

The committee chairman said investigators had gathered statements and other evidence which would be presented before the court.

He also disclosed that the alleged victim suffered injuries after receiving injections from the suspect following separate incidents.

Rimingado warned that the committee would prosecute anyone found to be involved in supplying harmful drugs to young people, regardless of their status or background.

He said the Kano State Government established the multi-agency committee to strengthen the fight against drug abuse and related offences, adding that enforcement operations would continue across the state.