The National Substance Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has learned that some people had plans to bring Fentanyl, an illegal drug, to the Nigerian market.
Femi Babafemi, the organization’s director of media and advocacy, announced this in a statement on Tuesday.
The NDLEA stated that Fentanyl was 100 times stronger than Tramadol and issued a warning that the illegally produced drug could result in a large number of fatalities among the youth population that the cartels are targeting.
The anti-narcotics agency stated that due to the drug’s lethality and the country’s current 14.4% drug abuse prevalence, all reasonable measures must be taken to prevent its circulation in Nigeria. Currently, the drug is responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths and is a significant cause of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.
NDLEA said, “We are not unaware of desperate efforts by some drug cartels to introduce to the Nigerian market, Fentanyl, which according to the CDC, is 80 times as potent as morphine and 100 times more potent than heroin.
“This, they plan to do either in liquid or powder form and/or with misleading labels to target our youth population.
“This they may also mix with other prescription drugs. The illegally manufactured fentanyl in its liquid form can come in nasal sprays, eye drops, or small candies.
“As a result, parents and other stakeholders are advised to be vigilant, alert and warn their young ones against attempting experimenting with this illicit substance. Symptoms for fentanyl exposure and/or overdose include pinpoint pupils, falling asleep or losing consciousness, slow and shallow breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, limp body, and pale, blue, or cold skin.”
The agency gave the public the assurance that all necessary resources had been deployed to monitor the participating cartels in an effort to foil their criminal scheme and subject them to the wrath of the law.
