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Legality · Tramadol

Is Tramadol legal in Nigeria?

Also known as: ultram

Confirmed against a primary sourceVerified September 14, 2026
Legal status
Lawful as a registered medicine at approved strengths, and not prohibited as a substance. The control is on strength. NAFDAC's Director General, Professor Moji Christianah Adeyeye, stated on 29 June 2018: 'We wish to emphasise that only 50mg and 100mg of Tramadol are approved for use in Nigeria.' The same statement describes 'a cartel that specializes in the importation of banned strengths of Tramadol (strengths above 100mg)'. Tramadol is a controlled medicine within regulation 15 of the NAFDAC Controlled Medicines Regulations 2019. This threshold is quoted from a June 2018 statement and should be re-confirmed against a current NAFDAC source before being relied on.
Consequences if caught
The line is the strength, not the drug. Capsules of 50mg and 100mg are approved products. Strengths above 100mg are banned products, and importing or dealing in them is prosecuted. NAFDAC reported in the same 29 June 2018 statement that it had secured a conviction at the Federal High Court, Lagos in which a man 'was sentenced to 5 years in prison with option of fine of N300,000.00 for being in possession of Tramadol', with three further tramadol prosecutions then pending. Handling offences under the NAFDAC Controlled Medicines Regulations 2019, regulation 14(1), carry for an individual a maximum of one year or a fine not exceeding N50,000 or both. Where the conduct is charged as trafficking in a narcotic under the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, LFN 2004 the exposure is far higher, up to life under section 11(b). The NDLEA Act prescribes no death penalty. Its maximum is imprisonment for life.
If prescribed or medical
Lawful on prescription at 50mg or 100mg. Carry the prescription and keep the product in its labelled packaging, because strength is the thing an officer checks.
Documentation
Carry the prescription and the original labelled pack showing the strength. A pack above 100mg is the problem even where the holder has a foreign prescription.
Primary sources
  • NAFDAC Director General, speech at the destruction exercise, Sagamu, 29 June 2018
  • NAFDAC Controlled Medicines Regulations 2019, regs. 14 and 15
  • nafdac.gov.ng

What sentences have courts imposed for Tramadol in Nigeria?

One prosecution recorded in Nigeria, checked against the official document cited below it. Individuals are never named, and these are examples of what has happened, not a prediction of what will. How we verify a court case.

1 verified case recorded. 1 case states no single comparable term.

  • A Federal High Court in Lagos dealt with three counts of unlawful possession covering 521 grams of tramadol at 225mg strength, a further 600 grams of tramadol and 64 grams of diazepam. The judge held that although section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act carries life imprisonment, the quantities fell within the presumptive non commercial band under the sentencing guidelines, which lowered culpability. Allowing for a first offence and an early guilty plea, with a 50 per cent discount, he imposed six months and 15 days on each count to run concurrently from 8 May 2026.

    2026a first time offender holding quantities the court called non commercial

    Citation Charge or suit number FHC/LAG/CR/345/2026 · Federal High Court, Lagos · Justice Ayokunle Faji

    Charge the unlawful possession of 521 grams of Tramadol 225mg (section 11(c), NDLEA Act, Cap N30, LFN 2004)

    Quantity 521 g tramadol; 600 g tramadol; 64 g diazepam

    convicted on a guilty plea of possessing tramadol and diazepam, six months and 15 days on each of three counts, served concurrently

    Substances recorded tramadol, diazepam

    Source Leadership

Tramadol in related jurisdictions

Jurisdictions related to Nigeria by shared drug statute, shared regulator or constitutional link. Each has its own separately verified status; a relationship is not a shared answer.

Other substances confirmed in Nigeria

Same substance, other countries

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Nigeria’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.

Before you travel

Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.

If you’re detained or arrested abroad

Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately, not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →

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