Customs to destroy 50 containers of Tramadol, other harmful drugs worth N15bn

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to destroy over N15billion worth of Tramadol and other harmful drugs seized in the last few months.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Aminu Dahiru yesterday when the Director General of National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye paid a courtesy visit on the Customs Area Controller  (CAC) of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Compt. Aliyu Muhammed in Lagos.

According to the ACG, the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the banned drugs intercepted and to be destroyed across the country worth N15billion.

He said, “We are destroying goods worth N15 billion. There is two type of container, 40ft and 20ft containers and apart from two containers that are 20ft, all the rest are 40ft so you can see how massive the drugs are.

“By the grace of God, Nigeria will be liberated and our concern is not mainly on revenue but on security, safety of life and the DPV i mentioned is about tramadol and other related medications seized all over the federation and we will destroy that of southwest in Ogun State, South South and South South in Port Harcourt, North in Kaduna. So it is a national assignment,” the ACG stated.

Also speaking, the Customs Area Controller of FOU,, Compt. Aliyu said that the service has flagged importation of drugs from India and China because the drugs came mainly from the country.

He said, “what we mean by saying profiling this drugs is that it happened only at the Port and not the FOU because FOU doesn’t have system but customs at the ports have system to profile where the containers are coming.

“When we suspect, we put alert and when it’s opened and it is a genuine, there is no need for any arrest you allow it to go but when you suspect it is harmful for human consumption then we refer to NAFDAC and when they confirm it’s not good then we seize it so we are not doing things anyhow, we have procedures.”

Speaking earlier, the DG of NAFDAC, Prof. Adeyeye said there is need for stiffer control of drugs in the country.
She also raised the alarm of disguising diclofenac as Tramadol therefore making it harmful for consumption.

Her words, “What I feel about it is that we need more control. The problem did not start today but started many years ago for instance, for seven years NAFDAC was not at the port and those who started during that time or before that time will still continue but with the cooperation from customs and NAFDAC getting access to do what they are to doing, it is under control.”

“We are seeing the dividends of uncontrolled importation of drug that lasted seven years and unfortunately, it won’t go over night but we are on top of it, customs is also on top of it and they are seizing drugs on a daily basis and with NAFDAC cooperation and collaboration we will cut down the tree.”

Mojisola who commended the FOU comptroller of his exploit in stopping importation of the drugs, said India and Chinese countries were shipping Tramadol to Nigeria because they banned the usage in both countries.

“They rained tramadol on us from India and China last year because they ban use of tramadol, they started raining it on us in Nigeria and we have seized most of the containers and that’s what we are destroying starting from this week we have to destroy them because they are not meant for human being and Nigerians are human and no one can turn us to a zombie country.”
“It is a continued risk to national health and it is not just imported drugs but right here in the country, our people will swap NAFDAC number on two or three items and put it on another so we have to think and know we are harming our people and if there is no NAFDAC number on a drug, we should know we are harming our people.
“So it is not about money but to ensure that our people get quality medicine they should get. In terms of tramadol we have about 50 containers to destroy in Nigeria.”