Bisina Somto, PBA Journalism MenteeThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said a new illicit hard drug known as Fentanyl is about to hit the Nigerian market.
This was made known on Tuesday, in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said that Fentanyl is a more potent drug than the popular Heroin, adding that the drug is manufactured illegally and is capable of causing gross casualty among Nigerian Youth.
NDLEA said every step must be taken to ensure that the drug which is currently responsible for over 70 percent deaths linked to overdose as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US is not allowed to circulate in Nigeria.
Stressing the degree of the lethality of the hard substance, the NDLEA spokesperson said the prevalence of drug abuse in the country currently stands at 14.4 percent.
“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,” NDLEA said.
“This, they plan to do either in liquid or powder form and/or with misleading labels to target our youth population.
“They may also mix it 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 to experiment 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 assured the public that all necessary assets had been deployed to monitor the cartels involved with a view to frustrating their criminal plot and make them face the wrath of the law.
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