From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
Police in Jigawa have intercepted a vehicle laden with 10 cartons containing 5,000 packets of tramadol capsules along the Maigatari border town of Niger republic.
The drug, which is listed among the prohibited substances, was confiscated when the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) allegedly alerted the police that a Toyota Corolla car with registration number NSR 133 FL on top speed refused to stop and be checked at the border check point.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdu Jinjiri, told Daily Sun that the driver, who was the only occupant, abandoned the vehicle and took to his heels after a long pursuit by the police. Jinjiri said that the police “have already traced the owner of the illegal substance to one Isa Habibu, 29, from Gabasawa Local Government Area of Kano state.
He said the substance, which is estimated at over N3 million, has been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Dutse alongside the alleged culprit for prosecution.
He said the drug was intended to be sold in the open markets by special vendors that also purchase the commodity for onward distribution to other patrons.
Jigawa is among the northern states that have been ravaged by indiscriminate consumption of narcotics of all varieties by youth and some married women across the state.