The fierce running battle between the Kano State Government and the Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers Association
(NAPPMED) in the state that has raged for months following government order to the drug sellers to quit the Kano Central Market in Sabo Gari, took a new dimension at the weekend.
The association accused Igbo factional leader in the state of being responsible for their plight.
A statement made available to Sunday Mirror in Kano yesterday by the association, by its chairman, Alhaji Hussaine Labaran Zakari, stated that the statement credited to Chief Boniface Ibekwe, Eze of a factional group of Ndigbo in Kano, to the effect that their members are disgruntled and illegal drug dealers clearly defined his role in the drug dealers-government faceoff. NAPPMED described the statement as uncalled for, unjust and most unfortunate, pointing out that that its members are lawful medicine dealers.
The association also alleged that Ibekwe’s intention was to drag the drug sellers into his war with rival Igbo group in the state to secure undue support from the state government.
“We challenge him to identify any of our members who are engaged in illegal drug business and be bold to report them to the relevant authorities, like NDLEA and NAFDAC.
Accusing him of double standard, the statement claimed that “the same Ibekwe had initiated dialogue between the association members and the state, after intimating them of government’s plan to demolish the aspect of the market accommodating drug business. We are shocked that he is the person calling us names; we also thank him for playing the role of Governor Kwankwaso’s adviser.”
Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Igbo umbrella body had earlier accused the chief of instigating the state government against the Patent Medicine Dealers. The government and the Kano drug dealers have been engaged in a bitter confrontation via a running battle for months “
As for the running battle between the Drug Dealers association populated by Ndigbo and the state which has raged for a very long time, resulting in the huge loss of finances by members, we now know where this problem is coming from,” the association declared.
