By Isaac Anumihe
Few weeks after the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) intercepted 661 pump action rifles in Lagos, the operatives of Federal Operatives Unit (FOU) of the service and the compliance team yesterday intercepted two trucks of tramadol hydrochloride.
The 5,066 cartons of the drugs with duty paid value of N242,688,000.00, came in two strenghts—tramadol 3,845 cartons and Really Extra 1,211.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the Comptroller General of Customs (CG), Colonel Hameed Ali, said that the drug which is not in the import prohibition list is a stress-relieving drug.
The common tramadol side effects may include: headache, dizziness, drowsiness, tired feeling; constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain; feeling nervous or anxious; oritching, sweating, flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling).
According to the CG, the drugs were intercepted along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Apapa Road and the countries of origin are India, China and some Asian countries.
Ali wondered how such a large quantity of the drugs found its way into the country, saying that the drugs were able to leave the borders because of the bad elements in the customs. He said that the multiplicity of checks on the highways is not for the purpose of harassment but to make sure that nothing escapes the system.
“We are not deliberately harassing the people. Our own officers are compromising. That is why we have layers of checks. These things are inimical to the economy. Anybody who keeps taking these drugs will not be useful to the society. It is a war all of us will be ready to fight” he said.
The CG explained that although some arrests have been made, their identities would not be revealed yet because they are undergoing profiling. He said that the management will eventually identify the officers involved and prosecute them.