Ban on Codeine: What NDLEA is doing at Nigeria, Cameroon border

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Adamawa Command, says it has commenced intensive surveillance on major routes along the Nigeria-Cameroon border.

NDLEA said the move was sequel to the Federal Government ban on the production and importation of codeine into the country.

DAILY POST reports that the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Tuesday directed the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to ban with immediate effect further issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Yakubu Kibo, NDLEA’s Commander in Adamawa, on Thursday in Yola said that the command had taken strategic measures to comply with the Federal Government’s directive.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Health had directed NDLEA offices across the country to ensure strict surveillance at the borders.

Kibo said, “As you are aware, Adamawa has porous borders with Cameroon Republican; five of the seven local government areas affected by Boko Haram in the state are directly on the border with Cameroon.

“But we have intensified surveillance in collaboration with of sister agencies in these areas to frustrate any attempt to import the substance into the country.’’

He said that the command recently destroyed over 14,000 tonnes of hard drugs, four tonnes of which were cough syrups with Codeine.

He, however, gave an assurance that the command would frustrate all possible moves to bring the banned drugs into the state and the country in general.