The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria has labeled tramadol has the major cause of insurgency in the North-East of the country.
This was made known by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Muhammad Abdallah.
In his submission, he indicated that the rate of drug abuse increased during the lockdown and even went ahead to label that it is the country’s ‘real pandemic’.
He said;
“The Government of India has up its ante; they have now put more control on the supply of tramadol to Nigeria.
Tramadol, if I will explain a little bit more, for normal medicinal dosage is between 50mg and 100mg. But the ones we have seen in Nigeria range from 200mg to like 500mg. Even a horse will be deadbeat by the time it takes that.
But that is what Nigerians have been taking. That is what fuels insurgency in the North-East. Because Theatre Commandants have testified to me that every Boko Haram camp they have overrun, they found paraphernalia of drug abuse particularly tramadol.
I know we are going through a pandemic universally but the real pandemic to us is the drug pandemic.
On the part of the government, it has taken some steps to ameliorate some of the deficiencies of the agency. For a start, Mr President has authorised an upgrade on the staff strength of the agency.
A staff strength of 5,000 without being told is not a staff strength that can fight drugs the way it should be fought in Nigeria. Let me just mention three local governments – you know Mushin in Lagos, you know Fagge in Kano or even Nyanya in Abuja.
I could deploy all of that strength to these places including me and there will still be some loopholes for trafficking and abuse to go on. That is why the President has approved the upgrade in phases. Following this will be logistics and equipment which come naturally with the upgrade of personnel.”
