Illegal drugs smuggled into the Country in time past has brought so much health challenges to the citizenry. In time past, we have seen cases of people taking this illegal/fake drugs to ease their pains but ended up giving up their lives as a result of the effect of these drugs. lets bear in mind that the law of nemesis always catches up with the wicked ones who do not seek for growth and well being of the society they find themselves.
Recently in Ogun State, the Operatives of FOU and Compliance Team have demonstrated high sense of patriotism as they once more declare their mantra of enough is enough in action for the self centered individuals in the country who do not care about the consequence of their actions by intercepting 5,600 cartons of tramadol capsules valued at N256.6 million in Ogun state. The drug was intercepted at the border town of Idiroko and along the Abeokuta-Ibadan expressway by officers and men of the federal operation unit A/CG compliance team. The seized drugs include tramadol capsules 120 milligram, tramadol royal hydrochloride tablet 225 milligram, and really extra tramadol, which were illegally brought into Nigeria from China, India and other Asian countries. The drugs is said to be strictly produced for export only and had no NAFDAC Number.
The Customs Comptroller General, rtd Colonel Hammed Ali, announcing this at a news briefing at the Customs warehouse in Ikeja, Lagos, said that profiling of suspects arrested is still ongoing. He appealed to all well meaning Nigerians to see smuggling, especially of drug, as a crime, evil, and a threat to national development and security.
According to Ali, “These drugs fall under absolute prohibition list. People complain of Customs harassing them on the highways; how would this have been intercepted if the trucks conveying them were not stopped on the roads?
“We are not deliberately stopping vehicles on the roads. These drugs were seized at areas on Apapa Road, Sango-Ota and along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. If we closed our eyes and allowed these prohibited drugs to come in, the damage it will cause to our children can never be quantified.
“We have two layers of defence to stop illicit and prohibited drugs like this. If it leaves the ports and borders, our officers will stop it on the highway. It is part of our mandate to prevent the illegal entry of these kind of products.
“Anybody who keeps taking these drugs will not be useful to himself or the nation. Therefore, we need the support of Nigerians to fight this menace. These are the ones we have nipped in the bud, only God knows the number of those that have escaped arrest.
“I also admit my officers are compromising, otherwise these drugs would not find their way into the country. We are currently doing profiling of everybody involved in this drugs clearance. Immediately we are done with that, we will make our arrest.
“It is in realization of this compromise by some of my officers that we have set up this second layer of defence so that when these drugs beat the system at the ports or border stations, our men will stop them on the roads,” he said.
It could be recalled that Federal Operation Unit (FOU) last year evacuated 773 cartons of same Tramadol Capsules with 225mg and 700 cartons of really extra from unnamed warehouse in Lagos with a suspect that is still facing trial at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos. The perpetrators of this act should as a matter of fact look at the effect of these illegal drugs smuggled into the Country. It has a negative effect on the health of users, increases criminal activities, it contributes to economic waste (Destruction of the drugs), importation affects local productions, employment and National Growth. We should join hands together in things that will benefit the Country positively.
