The Kano State Police Command has arrested five suspects over the unauthorized administration and sale of locally made medicine in the Challawa area of Kano, warning individuals and organisations against conducting medical outreach programmes without approval from relevant authorities.
The command said the operation followed public complaints and concerns over the activity, which had generated widespread attention on social media.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, operatives of the 52 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Challawa, intercepted six male suspects attached to the Brother Paul Legacy Foundation at the ECWA Church behind the 52 PMF Base in Challawa on August 4.
Kiyawa said the suspects, led by 50-year-old Simon Gbaaondo of Karu, Nasarawa State, were found administering “unverified and unauthorized locally made medicine as free and also for sale to a large crowd of members of Panshekara Communities who were trooping to the church, without clearance from relevant health regulatory agencies.”
He added that the individual who hosted the group on the church premises had also been invited to assist investigators in establishing the circumstances surrounding the exercise.
The police spokesperson said the matter was initially reported at the Panshekara Police Division before being transferred to the Kano State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where five of the suspects are currently undergoing investigation.
“The Kano State Police Command under the leadership of CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori warns individuals and organizations against administering drugs, locally made medicine, or conducting medical outreaches without due authorization and verification from the State Government, NAFDAC and other relevant health authorities,” the statement said.
The command noted that such activities pose “serious health and security risks to the public, especially when large crowds are involved.”
Kiyawa reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting residents and maintaining public order, adding that it will not condone any activity capable of endangering public health or public order.
He also urged members of the public to report any suspicious medical outreach or distribution of unverified medicines to the nearest police station, assuring that further updates on the investigation would be communicated as they become available.
