The Katsina State northwest Nigeria command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has apprehended 443 suspected illicit drug peddlers and prosecuted 23 others this year.
It also said it had apprehended 21 students and several children under age 13 with total of 128 bottles of cough syrup with codeine within the same period.
The state commander of the agency, Mrs. Maryam Gambo Sani, stated this while briefing newsmen in an event to mark the United Nations Anti-drug Day. Sani also said 110 drug-related cases were at different stages of trial at the federal High Court in the state.
In Borno State command of the agency, 312 suspects have been arrested with seizures of 545.4kg of illicit drugs in the last six months.
This was announced in Maiduguri by NDLEA Commander Iweajunwa Okechukwu to mark the UN anti-drug abuse and trafficking day.
He said 90 per cent of the suspects are either drug users or victims of drug problems that cut across all strata of the society.
The commander further disclosed that between January and June this year, 22.2 litres of cough syrup with codeine were also seized.