Customs officials seize N65m worth of capsules at airport

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) impounded 180 cartons of Tramadol capsules worth N65m ($181,000) at the import shed of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on Friday, May 18, 2018.

According to a report by SaharaReporters, a source revealed that the seized substance was well above the government-recommended milligrams (50-100) and was finally impounded after the importer did not show up to claim the consignment.

The source further revealed that the NCS has already handed the seized substance to the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) through its Deputy Director, Udoekpo Ekpo, who commended the actions of the NCS and promised that NAFDAC is committed more than ever to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs.

The source said, "These banned items were discovered at the SAHCOL shed by our intelligence. We have been monitoring it for a while, but the importer did not show up to claim it. So, we have to impound it and hand it over to the necessary government agency.

"This simply shows that our intelligence is working and will continue to unravel several of such illicit drugs or items that anyone may want to bring into the country through this airport."

NDLEA seizes 4 tonnes of Tramadol

The seizure of the banned substance follows another such seizure by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who impounded four tonnes of imported Tramadol capsules at the same airport on Thursday, May 17.

The banned substance was imported from India into Nigeria through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) airline, Etihad Cargo, but the importer could not be traced as no clearing agent showed up to claim the drugs which were imported in two batches.