I exposed Kano drug kingpin – what followed nearly ruined my life

A young whistleblower is pleading for justice after the ordeal he endured, following the exposure of a suspected drug kingpin in Kano State.

He shared his story with security analyst, Zagazola Makama, how his viral TikTok post concerning the arrest of Sulaiman Dan Wawu, a man arrested with 500 cartons of tramadol became viral, gathered over 41,000 views, and became the beginning of his nightmare.

The Tiktoker, who shared details of his nightmares under anonymity, recalled that the day after he posted the TikTok video, a man who identified himself as Abba Abdullahi from CID arrived in his Kwankwaso neighbourhood.

Rather than taking him to an official station, he was led to a Rapid Response Team (RRT) detention cell and held for three days, during which he alleges he was tortured in front of Dan Wawu, his wife, and an associate named Abdullahi Amdaz.

He was later brought before PRP Court Magistrate Nura Yusuf Ahmad and charged with defamation and public misinformation over his claim that Dan Wawu was a drug trafficker.

Despite the viral reach of the video, which received radio mentions and public scrutiny, the suspect and his wife never appeared in court.

He was later released on bail after five days behind bars, with six strict conditions, including producing two Grade‑Level 12 civil servants as sureties, securing endorsement from a ward head, and pledging to stay off social media.

He added, the pressure didn’t stop there, noting that Abdullahi confronted him and his elder brother outside court and placed Dan Wawu on a video call from Qatar, who in turn, coerced him into deleting two TikTok accounts with a combined following of over 100,000.  He said that three of his SIM cards were also seized, and he was strongly warned against SIM swapping or returning to any media platforms.

Although Dan Wawu had been publicly arrested for drug smuggling, he and his wife did not attend court to give testimony, whereas the whistleblower had allegedly spent 38 days in prison during Ramadan 2023 and came back home only on the 29th fasting day.

At one time, the prosecutor asked him to take an oath before court so that he could establish his innocence. He declined, and invoked Maliki jurisprudence, which limits oaths to money or civil case, not criminal drug cases.

Finally, the prosecution did not provide testimony and evidence, and the case lagged behind. Dan Wawu, arraigned at the Federal High Court on drug peddling charges, allegedly absconded with his wife and has not been arrested yet.

Today, the whistleblower says: “I thought I was helping Nigeria. Instead, I was punished.”