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The Katsina State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling drug abuse and illicit trafficking across the state.
The NDLEA Commander in Katsina, Samaila Danmalam, gave the assurance during the command’s end-of-year press briefing on Tuesday. The event also featured the decoration of 61 officers recently promoted to various ranks.
Danmalam said the achievements recorded in 2025 underscored the need for collective responsibility, stressing that stronger collaboration and synergy were essential to making Katsina a safer place.
He noted that the command believes sustained information sharing, advocacy and community policing would significantly reduce drug-related offences and help maintain peace in the state.
According to him, intelligence-led raids and patrols carried out in 2025 led to the arrest of several suspects involved in drug offences, with major seizures that disrupted illegal drug networks across Katsina.
Danmalam disclosed that the command arrested a total of 1,018 suspects during the year, comprising 992 males and 26 females. Seized substances included 1,667.747kg of cannabis, 12.348kg of codeine and 793.66kg of psychotropic substances, amounting to a total of 2,473.755kg.
He also highlighted the impact of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, led by the NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd), noting that the programme delivered 203 sensitisation activities reaching 75,135 beneficiaries, counselled 451 clients and admitted 58 individuals for rehabilitation.
On prosecution, Danmalam said the command arraigned 86 suspects and secured the conviction of 87 offenders within the year.
Despite these successes, he acknowledged that the Katsina Command faces logistical challenges, including shortages of operational vehicles, office infrastructure and staff accommodation.
He therefore appealed to stakeholders, government authorities and philanthropists to support the command in overcoming the challenges.
