By Fanen Ihyongo,The Nation
Copyright thenationonlineng
The Kano/Jigawa command of the Nigerian Customs Service on Thursday handed over a suspect and a total of 261,750 capsules of Pregabalin (300 milligrams) and 228,700 tablets of Tramadol hydrochloride (225 milligrams) to the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The illicit drugs, concealed in five jumbo agro sacks, were seized by Customs around the border.
Area Controller of Customs, Comptroller Dalhatu Abubakar, disclosed that the drugs were hidden inside 35 packets of Pregabalin and 28 rolls of Tramadol tablets.
Speaking while handing over the seized illicit drugs to the NDLEA representative, the Kano/Jigawa Controller, Comptroller Dalhatu Abubakar, said the substances pose serious health risks to the body, including organ damage, addiction, and restlessness, particularly among the youth.
Abubakar warned about the wider social implications of drug abuse, linking it to violence, crime, immorality, economic loss, and insecurity in the region.
He said a male suspect was arrested at the scene with 455,500 Naira intended as a bribe, alongside a black-tinted green Nissan Pathfinder, marked DUT196AE
A cutting knife was also among the exhibits recovered from the suspect.
“The seizure was in line with sections 55C and 234 of the Nigerian Customs Service Act 2023, which mandated the protection of public health and prohibited the possession of smuggled goods,” Abubakar said.
Commander of narcotics Mohammad Maiaduwa Usman received the suspect and exhibits on behalf of NDLEA.
He said NDLEA will conduct further investigations for the prosecution of the suspect.
He reiterated the agency’s commitment to continued synergy with other security agencies in the fight against drug abuse.
