Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Moji Adeyeye says no fewer than 35 containers of tramadol have been seized at various ports in the country.
Adeyeye disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja yesterday.
She said nine out of the seized containers of tramadol were released to NAFDAC by the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), and had been destroyed by her agency.
“We are seriously working with the customs on this and each time they seize any container, they usually invite us to come and see the containers with tramadol.
“So far, 35 containers were seized and only nine of them have been handed over to NAFDAC which we have destroyed,” she said.
She, however, decried the delay by the customs in handing over the rest of the containers to her agency.
The NAFDAC boss stated that tramadol was a restricted drug but had been abused by Nigerian youths who use it without prescription.
According to Adeyeye, who is also a professor of pharmacology, the drug destroys children’s brains, thereby threatening the future generation of the nation.
She lauded the present administration for placing an embargo on codeine, which she said, like tramadol, should only be given through prescription as done in advanced countries.
The director general said the agency was more determined to stem the menace of illicit and fake drugs in the country.