Nigeria seeks jail time or $5,500 fine for codeine sellers

Nigerian lawmakers have unanimously backed a bill which would see organisations who continue to sell products with codeine or tramadol fined up to 2m naira ($5,500; £4,100) or jailed for two years.

The bill also proposes fining individuals 500,000 naira or two years jail time, according to local media.

It comes as the country cracks down on medicines containing the opiates, as it battles a rising addiction problem.

Betty Apiafi, the Rivers State representative who proposed the amendment to the exisiting Food, Drugs and Related Products (Registration) Act, 2004, said tramadol was the most abused substance in Nigeria.

However, she also pointed to a government report which revealed three million bottles of cough syrup were consumed each day in the north of the country.

The bill now goes to a health committee, the Daily Post said.