The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it seized 45 containers of tramadol at various ports between November 2017 and April 2019.
Director, Port Inspectorate of NAFDAC, Prof. Samson Adebayo, who disclosed this in Lagos Wednesday, said five of the containers were tracked down in a West African country, while others were seized at Apapa Port, Onne Port, Tin Can Island Port and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, Lagos with the support of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
He said, “Through intelligence, we were able to track five out of the 45 containers to a neighbouring country’s port and we have written to the Presidency of that country waiting for the possibility of releasing the containers to us.”
Adebayo said the reinstatement of the agency to the seaports and border stations by the federal government has enhanced its regulatory activities in curbing the importation of banned and substandard drugs into the country.
He said there was no way NAFDAC could be effective in its regulatory function of checking and preventing illicit drugs from entering into the country if it is not present at the ports.
“Our coming back to the port has enhanced our operation. Until recently, any individual can walk up to any pharmacy and buy tramadol with ease, but interestingly now, because of the tightening of the border and the seaports, adequate measures have been put in place to prevent the inflow of such prohibited substances. Now I understand a single card of 10 tablets of tramadol that used to sell for a very cheap price before has now gone up as high as N6,000 while a carton sells for as high as N2 million to N3 million. Why is it so? It is because of scarcity of tramadol.
