NDLEA arrests ‘ex-soldier’ with tramadol

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Special Area Command, Kano, has arrested a 51-year-old, Usman Hassan Ramadan, with powdery Tramadol weighing 3.5kg. The suspect, who the agency claimed to be an ex-soldier from Borno State, was arrested at the outbound screening point on his way to board Ethiopian […]

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Special Area Command, Kano, has arrested a 51-year-old, Usman Hassan Ramadan, with powdery Tramadol weighing 3.5kg.

The suspect, who the agency claimed to be an ex-soldier from Borno State, was arrested at the outbound screening point on his way to board Ethiopian Airline to Dubai.

The NDLEA spokesman, Jonah Achema, said on Monday in Abuja that the suspect had stuffed his luggage with black and white polythene bags containing a powdery substance, which upon inspection by NDLEA officials turned out to be grounded Tramadol tablets.

“Initially, the suspect claimed he was carrying “alubo”, a local yam flour but later confessed that he had to grind the tramadol tablets in order to deceive security operatives. He claimed to have sustained injuries during the civil war and that he needed Tramadol at all times to relieve him of the pain,” Achema said.

He also quoted the NDLEA MAKIA Commander, Mohammed Ajiya, as saying that the case of powdery Tramadol is strange to the Command.

“We have made seizures of Tramadol several times but that it now comes in powdery form calls for extra vigilance. It means drug merchants are never short of ideas. No matter what, we will continue to beat them to their antics,” Ajiya said.