WorldStage— The Kano State Multi-Agency Taskforce on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has sealed a pharmaceutical facility in the Sabon Gari area of Kano over the alleged illegal distribution of Pregabalin, a heavily abused controlled substance.
Speaking to journalists during an inspection of the premises at No. 10 Apple Avenue, Nomansland, on Saturday, the Chairman of the Taskforce, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, disclosed that operatives uncovered 3,180,000 capsules of Pregabalin valued at over ₦900 million inside the residential-area facility.
Rimingado stated that while the task force has aggressively targeted drug demand—recording 1,760 arrests and securing 890 convictions so far, with 63 cases pending in court—licensed pharmaceutical operators are undermining the efforts by fueling the illicit supply chain.
He identified Pregabalin as the most widely abused substance in Kano State, noting that eight out of every ten suspected drug users apprehended by the task force are either caught with the drug or admit to abusing it.
During the briefing, the chairman leveled serious allegations against officials of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kano, accusing them of enabling the unlawful trade.
He questioned the issuance of an import licence to a local firm, UGO Lab Production Nigeria Limited, on October 23, 2026, weeks after NAFDAC officially classified Pregabalin as a controlled drug on September 14, 2026.
According to preliminary investigations by the task force, the owner of UGO Lab allegedly registered a secondary company, Seemark Pharmaceutical Nigeria Ltd, as a clandestine front to divert the controlled medication onto the streets, even as legitimate pharmacies face scarcity.
Rimingado further faulted the PCN for registering a residential building in Nomansland as a pharmaceutical outlet, arguing that the approval violated both land-use laws and regulatory standards.
“I cannot in good conscience continue to go after the victims while the perpetrators are given a shield by those who have a statutory responsibility of protecting them from accessing these drugs they tend to abuse,” Rimingado said, vowing to pursue criminal liability against any public official complicit in the distribution network.
Efforts to obtain immediate reactions from the accused regulatory bodies were unsuccessful, as representatives for both the PCN and NAFDAC in Kano had not responded to inquiries.
