Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, Minister of Interior, has assured the Sabon Zango youth of the government’s full support in tackling illicit drug trade and abuse within the community.

He, however, cautioned them against violating individuals’ rights or damaging property.

“Don’t take the laws into your hands. Make sure that when you arrest them, you do well to hand them over to the police,” he said during a visit to the palace of the Sabon Zango Chief, Alhaji Yahya Hamisu Baako.

“Any commander that you call and he doesn’t respond swiftly, then he doesn’t want to be in that area,” he added.

Alhaji Mubarak said the community was best placed to assist security forces with intelligence to tackle the problem.

“Sometimes when the police comes, it will be very difficult to identify people dealing in drugs, but once we are in the community, we know them and it when we rise and say no, we are not going to allow them to do it, that is when we can succeed,” he said.

He expressed hope that the youth-led anti-drug campaign would be replicated in other communities.

The Minister warned that drugs and vices threatened young people’s aspirations for a better future.

He pledged to absorb about 15 anti-drug campaigners into the security services to empower them in keeping their communities safe. He also donated GHS20,000 to support the initiative.

The minister also donated the amount of GHS20000 to support the initiative.

The community chief said mothers frequently lamented their children’s involvement in drugs at his palace, prompting him to mobilise the youth to combat the menace.

Since the beginning of the year, the youth have led the “Zango Against Drugs” campaign to rid the community of illicit drugs that jeopardised young people’s futures.

The campaign focuses on awareness creation, raiding “bunkers,” arresting peddlers, and confiscating drugs.