SPECIAL REPORT: How a Simple SMS Strategy Cracked Kano’s Drug Hubs—A New Model for Community Policing
By PRNigeria
The Kano State Police Command has launched an unprecedented, intelligence-led offensive against the illicit drug trade, leveraging a high-impact strategy: “Crowdsourced Policing.”
The crackdown, ordered by the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Bakori, PhD, was activated following a strategic public appeal through social media platform by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa. By inviting residents to submit names and locations of drug lords via a dedicated SMS line (08060966607), the Command has effectively turned the state’s 15 million residents into undercover informants.
The Floodgates of Public Intelligence
Within hours of the digital appeal, the Command reported an overwhelming volume of credible leads from all 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs). The data revealed a striking level of community frustration; some suspected drug lords were reported by dozens of different individuals.
In a notable case in the Gwale LGA, a single notorious suspect was mentioned 13 times by separate informants, providing the police with an undeniable mandate for immediate action.
“It is strictly confidential. Nobody will know who supplied the information,” CSP Kiyawa assured the public.
This promise of absolute anonymity has successfully broken the “culture of silence” that often protects high-level kingpins in metropolitan hubs.
Arrests and Tactical Raids
Acting on the surge of data, tactical and surveillance teams have commenced coordinated raids. Preliminary operations have already netted several high-value suspects—both male and female—across the Kano metropolis, including areas such as: Mariri, Mei Dile, Rimin Kebe, Kofar Mazugal (Kofar Mata), Unguwar Hausawa and Miyangu Road (Railway Station axis).
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Reports suggest the intensity of the operation has caused several mid-level dealers to flee the state, effectively disrupting local supply chains even before physical arrests were made.
Strategic Communication as a Weapon
Public relations expert and CEO of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), Mallam Yushau Shuaib, described the initiative as a global model for crisis communication and community policing.
“This is where strategic communication meets national security,” Shuaib remarked. “By using digital platforms to crowdsource intelligence, the Command has bridged the trust gap between the police and the public. If this momentum is sustained, the grip of drug syndicates and thugs will be reduced to the barest minimum.”
Kano’s Drug Crisis in the National Context
The urgency of this offensive is underscored by alarming statistics. In April 2025, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Muhammad Buba Marwa (Rtd), identified Kano as Nigeria’s second-highest hotspot for drug-related cases.
According to data referenced by the NDLEA, the North-West zone suffers from a high prevalence of substance abuse, with Kano alone accounting for an estimated 1,070,000 users. This represents roughly 16 percent of the state’s population aged 15–64.
Beyond Enforcement: The Road Ahead
While raids dismantle the supply, analysts argue that the “demand” is fueled by deep-seated socio-economic issues, including youth unemployment, poverty, and gaps in regulatory enforcement.
Experts contend that the Police Command’s intelligence model must eventually be paired with rehabilitation and youth empowerment programs to ensure that as one dealer is removed, another does not take their place. For now, the Kano State Police Command has set a new standard for modern policing in Nigeria—proving that the most powerful weapon in the war on drugs can be an informed citizen with an SMS.
By PRNigeria
