BORNO GOVERNOR LAUNCHES STATEWIDE CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL DRUG MARKETS FOLLOWING KONDUGA SUICIDE BOMBING

In a decisive response to the tragic suicide bombing in Konduga, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has vowed to shut down all illegal drug markets and criminal hideouts across the state’s 27 local government areas. The move comes after a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at a fish market in Konduga on June 20th Friday night, killing 12 people and injuring 18 others.
During a condolence visit to the grieving community on Monday June 23rd. Zulum expressed his condolences but also his anger over the location of the blast — an illicit drug hub, which he said had long defied government warnings. The governor confirmed that the affected area had been marked for evacuation by a task force as part of an executive order banning marijuana sales, prostitution, and other illegal activities. Despite prior notifications, the community failed to comply.
He lamented, “People continued selling drugs and committing all sorts of atrocities in the area,” noting that security reports and community feedback had flagged the zone as a criminal hotspot. To tackle the persistent defiance, Zulum announced the formation of a high-powered committee tasked with identifying and dismantling all drug joints and criminal enclaves in the state. Offending structures will be demolished, and individuals involved will face arrest and prosecution.
Zulum further stated that the Borno State House of Assembly would meet on Tuesday to review and strengthen the sanitation law, granting law enforcement the authority to arrest violators without a warrant. He also warned that some criminals expelled from Maiduguri had relocated to rural areas like Konduga, urging full enforcement of the law to restore peace statewide.