The Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, in Kano State has announced that practitioners intending to join the association would henceforth undergo drug tests to ascertain their mental well-being.

Mohammed Inuwa Musa, the state chairman of the NBA, said this on Saturday during a programme tagged: ”Kano State NBA Walk Against Drug Abuse”, as part of activities marking the 2018 NBA Kano Law Week.

The lawyers, who walked from their office located at Farm Centre, to the Emir of Kano’s palace, said the walk was to demonstrate their anger against drug abuse.

According to him, legal practitioners who indicated their intentions to be admitted into the NBA Kano would undergo urine and blood tests to ascertain if they were free from the abuse of banned substances.

Mohammed said Kano NBA would liaise with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to draw up a plan on how to pursue the implementation of the drug tests on prospective applicants.

He expressed support for the decision by the Federal Government to ban the importation of codeine into the country.

“The worrisome menace of increase in the abuse of hard drugs is sad. Kano NBA is in support of the decision by the Federal Government to ban the importation of codeine into the country.

“Henceforth, legal practitioners who indicate their intentions to be admitted into NBA Kano will undergo urine and blood tests to ascertain if they are free from the abuse of banned substances,” he said.