By John Ikani
Operatives of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted three million opioid capsules.
The opioids, according to local media quoting authorities include 1,500kg (3,300lb) of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol.
They were intercepted at Jaelith Bonded Container Terminal under Tincan seaport in the Apapa area of Lagos.
Director of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi was quoted by Nigeria’s Punch Newspapers as saying the capture “followed a similar operation in which anti-narcotic officers of the agency also intercepted 8,613kg of cannabis smuggled in from Ghana.”
According to him, the capsules were thought to have originated from China, and were falsely labelled as insulation fittings and industrial office printers.
However further investigation proved them to be from India and some suspects have been arrested, the news report added.
What you should know
Opioids are said to be more dangerous and potent than tramadol
The seizure comes at a time that drug abuse has torn families apart, churned out thousands of child victims and utterly decimated an entire generation of people, young and old.
A senior Nigerian police officer, Abba Kyari, is currently facing charges for drug trafficking and his alleged links with an international drug cartel.
A drug-infested population is a hotbed for violent criminal behaviours, and according to Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd.), chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), there is a nexus between recreational drug use and terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, and banditry.
It’s frightening to contemplate Africa’s future in the face of an illicit drug epidemic, given that rich nations of the Western world continue to grapple with and are ravaged by it, despite the enormous resources at their disposal.
