Customs Seizes 68 Cartons of Tramadol, 120 kg Indian Hemp in Sokoto

Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto

The Nigeria Customs Service, Sokoto State Command, has seized 68 cartons of Tramadol and 22 cartons of Evergrip tablets worth N20 million in the state.

The agency also said it intercepted six cartons of expired cigarettes and 120 kilogrammes of Indian hemp worth over N 1.2 million.

Addressing journalists in Sokoto, the state capital, the Customs Area Comptroller of the Command, Mr. Nasir Ahmed, said the 68 cartons of Tramadol was

evacuated from a house in the Sokoto metropolis.

Ahmed stated that the illicit drugs were smuggled through Niger Republic as the main transit point.

The comptroller noted with dismay, the negative effects of such illicit drugs on youths, which leads to crime and banditry.

He explained that the tramadol tablets comprised 200 and 225 miligrammes, which were very dangerous.

“As you are aware, the regulated tramadol is between 30 and 50 miligrammes. But these ones are above 200 miligrammes and posed serious risk to the society.

“We want the government to demolish this house in order to serve as a deterrent to people who want to use their houses as a warehouse for storage of contraband drugs.

“Let us do our best to stop these illicit drugs from entering Nigeria.The state government should educate the people through the media on the dangers of taking these dangerous substances,” he said.

The comptroller disclosed that the 120 kilogrammes of Indian hemp was intercepted at Kamba border post in Kebbi State.

He added that the highly concentrated illicit substances were concealed inside the bales of second-hand clothes so as to evade customs officers.

“The 120 kg of Indian hemp were hidden inside second hand clothes and it came from Togo and Benin Republic,” he added.

He pointed out that six cartons of expired cigarettes were repackaged by criminals in order to sell them to the public.

Ahmed stressed that investigation was ongoing in order to apprehend the smugglers of the illicit substances.

Ahmed further said the seized substances would be handed over to officials of the National Agency for Food, Drugs and Control (NAFDAC) and the

National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

We want the border communities to view smuggling as a danger to the youths and the economy and not as a business because these illicit substances are consumed by our children,” he added.