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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it had seized 158 million tablets of Tramadol.
Director Technical Services of the agency, Femi Oloruntoba, revealed this on Monday in Abuja at a public hearing organised by the Senate Joint Committee on Drugs and Narcotics and Health.
Tramadol is a narcotic-like pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe pain.
The public hearing was on a motion on “The Need to Check the Rising Menace of Pharmaceutical Drugs Abuse Among Youth in Nigeria”.
Oloruntoba noted that 50 tonnes of the drug was recently destroyed in Kano alone.
Oloruntoba who noted that there were legislations guiding the use of controlled pharmaceutical drugs like tramadol and cocaine, what was needed was enforcement of the law.
“In 2016, about 31 different substances were abused in Nigeria,” he said.
He further noted that drug was on the Exclusive Legislative List and should not be taken to the Concurrent List, adding that if it was done otherwise, it would lead to anarchy.
He lamented that only the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to try drug cases which he said was a challenge.
He therefore called on the Federal Government to increase the number of judges in the Federal High Court to try cases of drug abuse.
In his submission, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ahmed Yakasai called for the drafting of a prescription policy to curb the menace.
“We are trying to see where we have prescription policy. If we have this prescription policy, we will know who is doing what,” he said.
Yakasai who noted that Nigerian borders were porous, decried that the National Agency For Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was not allowed access into the ports.
On her part, NAFDAC Director-General, Christiana Adeyeye, said the agency lacked adequate manpower for frequent visitation to pharmaceutical companies.
Represented by the Director of Narcotics and Controlled Substances in the agency, Umar Musa, Adeyeye said drug problem was a crisis that required collective efforts to tackle.
Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Joshua Lidani said the use of illicit drugs, trafficking and other pharmaceutical drugs abuse particularly among women and youth was worrisome.
He said: “This calls for concern and urgent action to stem the tide. It behoves on stakeholders to strengthen and redouble our efforts to tame it, and where possible strengthen the capacity of agencies charged with the responsibility of enforcing the relevant laws to enable them discharge their responsibility effectively.”
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
