Three persons identified as Abdulsalam Lawal, Muhammed Auwal Abubakar, and Ibrahim Kabiru, have been reported dead after consuming expired drugs in Kabala Doki community, Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Two other youths are currently hospitalized after consuming expired medication.

Locals said the drugs may have been obtained from vehicles intercepted and auctioned by customs at the Kabala Doki Area Command a few days earlier, where the victims participated in evacuating the vehicles.

The ward head of Kabala Doki, Danlami Bawa, confirmed the on Tuesday, April 9.

He told DailyTrust that the youths had kept the expired drugs intending to use them during the Eid celebration, unaware that the drugs had expired years ago.

One victim, before passing away on Monday, April 8, admitted to taking the expired drugs and sharing them with others, Bawa added.

The Public Relations Officer of the Customs Area Command of Kabala Doki, Muhammad Amin, clarified that their role was limited to auctioning off vehicles, and they do not know how or where the youths acquired the drugs.

The Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansur Hassan, confirmed the incident and stated that investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the youths’ deaths.