Drug abuse: 'Cocoldine and Shisha plus na im dey reign for Kano'

"I bin dey use Shisha before but I don stop now and I fit confam say na im reign pass among youth now because if dem put dat oda substance join e dey make dem high wella."

Dis na wetin one Kano resident tell BBC Pidgin.

Kano state for north west Nigeria get reputation as one of di states with di highest case of drug abuse for di kontri.

For 2017, senate raise alarm say Jigawa and Kano alone dey consume over three million bottles of codeine syrup everyday, but tins don change since den.

Na last year BBC do documentary wey torchlight di issue of drug abuse for Kano especially codeine and after dat goment ban di syrup, di National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) don tell BBC Pidgin say although codeine usage don drop, oda drugs don dey take ova.

'Shisha and Cocoldine na baba'

One Kano resident wey no wan make BBC mention im name tok say na shisha wey dem dey mix with anoda substance dey reign now, as e no too dey attract suspicion like oda drugs pipo dey use am do many tins.

Di guy wey say im don stop now tok say na friends introduce am to Shisha six years ago and e go with di flow because e wan feel among."Na friends introduce me to Shisha and as somebody wey at di time wan feel among, I come join dem dey smoke am before I stop early dis year.""Shisha na something wey u fit find everywhere for Kano and e no too cost, to buy the whole bottle na just 3k for di small one, and di flavour and substance wey dem dey add na 500-600 naira but some guys dey add weed inside. den coal wey be 150 naira."Di young man yan say na one doctor wey tell am about di problems wey im go face make am stop." I bin dey chat with my family friend wey be doctor and e come tell me say e dey beta to smoke 100 sticks of cigarette than to smoke one bottle of shisha because of the danger and wetin fit happun to my organs na why I stop.

NDLEA dey work

NDLEA for Kano dey mark dis year UN day against drug abuse with plenti activities.

For press conference NDLEA oga for Kano Dr Ibrahim Abdul parade 72 suspects wey im men gbab dey use or sell drugs across di state and also tok about dia achievements so far.

Di oga tok say di use of many drugs like codeine don drop and e dey hope say soon Kano go become drugs free but dia challenges dey move to oda drugs now.

"Yes as our boss yan, level of codeine intake don drop seriously since goment ban and many oda drugs too, e dey very encouraging for di fight against drug abuse for Kano." Na so NDLEA tok-tok pesin for Kano Sani Dan Wawu tok.

"But as you know if codeine no dey, drug abusers go find oda tins, wetin dem dey do now na Shisha with one substance inside to make dem high and one local concoction wey dem dey call Cocoldine." Im add,

Anoda staff of di agency wey no wan make we mention im name also add say di fight against drug abuse na continuous one without rest as di challenges go continue to come.

"For di first time we gbab 47 pipo and almost 4kg of di substance in respect to cocaine dealing and we also seize farm of indian hemp for Wailari village, before na just to import come Kano but to grow di farm show us say work still dey."