The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking says it plans to remove more than 10,000 drug abusers from the streets for rehabilitation and skills acquisition.

The Chairman of the Task Force, Muhuyi Rimin Gado, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the agency’s headquarters on Tuesday.

He said the initiative was aimed at rehabilitating affected youths, equipping them with vocational skills and reintegrating them into society as responsible members of their communities.

“Our target is to sweep 10,000 youths off the streets, rehabilitate them, and train them in skills acquisition, so that they can go back into society fully informed, reformed, and as people of trust and confidence to the community,” Rimin Gado said.

He said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had provided an additional facility in Tofa Local Government Area to serve as an extension of the Kano State Reformatory Institute, Kiru.

According to him, the expansion became necessary due to increasing demand for rehabilitation services, as families increasingly bring relatives voluntarily for treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration.

He said the Kiru facility had reached full capacity, creating an urgent need for additional space.

Rimin Gado said the Task Force had so far referred about 125 individuals to the Kiru institute for rehabilitation, stressing that drug abuse should be treated as a condition requiring a healing process.

He added that the Task Force was engaging industrial stakeholders to create employment opportunities, skills acquisition programmes and other productive avenues for youths who completed rehabilitation.

The chairman also acknowledged the contributions of security and other agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Correctional Service.

He urged members of the public to continue providing timely information to the Task Force to support efforts to keep communities safe.