The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a policeman for supplying 59kg of tramadol, a prohibited drug, to Boko Haram insurgents in Gwoza, Borno state.
Reuben Apeh, commander of the agency in Yobe, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Damaturu, the state capital, on Tuesday.
He said the policeman was arrested alongside a “drug trafficker” on November 7. Apeh said the the suspect has confessed to buying the substance from a customs officer in Lagos.
“He confessed hiring the policeman to convey the drugs to Maiduguri before proceeding to Gwoza to supply suspected terrorists,” he said.
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“He claimed that the drugs were part of consignments seized by the Nigerian Customs during its operations in Lagos, and were sold to him at the cost of N6m, while the actual market value was N24m.
“We are still working on him to provide us with the details of the alleged Customs officer and another accomplice he claimed was based in Ijora, Lagos.
“The drugs were transported from Lagos to Jos, and handed over to the policeman for delivery to Maiduguri, where he (trafficker ) will take it to suspected terrorists in Gwoza.”
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In 2018, the United Nations raised concerns over rising cases of drug abuse, including wrong Tramadol usage.
The house of representatives had proposed a fine of N2 million and a two-year jail term for organisations that go against the ban on Tramadol and codeine in the country.
Individual offenders, according to the proposal, will be liable to N500,000 fine and two years imprisonment or both on conviction.
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