In a move to rid the country of fake, unregistered and illicit pharmaceuticals, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Friday announced the interception of 25 containers laden with fake pharmaceuticals imported into the country from India.
The service also handed over the seized items to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation.
Speaking to journalists during the handover at Apapa command, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the products with a duty paid value (DPV) of N9.2bn were imported from India.
The Customs boss added that the seizures represent a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that deliberately exploit regulatory gaps to compromise our national health security.
“Today, we formally hand over to NAFDAC a total of 25 containers laden with counterfeit medications, unregistered pharmaceutical products, and prohibited substances, including codeine-based preparations that pose an imminent danger to public health. These seizures, with an aggregate value of N9.2bn, represent a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that deliberately exploit regulatory gaps to compromise our national health security,” Adeniyi said.
Giving a breakdown of that seizure, Adeniyi revealed disturbing patterns of misdeclaration and systematic attempts to circumvent established import protocols.
He stressed that out of the 25 containers, there were 21 forty-foot containers and 4 twenty-foot containers.
Adeniyi added that the containers were carrying predominantly unregistered pharmaceutical products, including sexual enhancement drugs such as Redsun and Hyegra sildenafil citrate products, codeine-containing cough syrups including CSC brands, antibiotic injections like oxytetracycline and artesunate, and various tablets bearing fake NAFDAC registration numbers.
“The seizures also include expired food products such as margarine and chocolate, veterinary medications including albendazole bolus tablets, antimalarial drugs like artepharm-artequick, and consumer goods such as crusader soap, reflecting a sophisticated and diversified contraband portfolio that poses significant threats to public health, consumer safety, and regulatory integrity,” he said.
Adeniyi explained that handover is another tangible result of the service’s combined commitment between the NCS and the NAFDAC following their strategic Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2024.
“The recent inauguration of its implementation committee, which has already begun to yield remarkable dividends in our enforcement efforts against unwholesome food and pharmaceutical products,” he said.
The NCS boss emphasised that the MOU framework enables the NCS and NAFDAC to conduct coordinated operations and joint investigations, systematically tracing illicit pharmaceutical sources and deploying targeted enforcement strategies against criminal networks.
He maintained that inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing have been central to the service’s enforcement philosophy, “This enhanced cooperation has delivered measurable results in protecting public health and combating illicit trade.”
Adeniyi highlighted that the service in partnership with NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, remains uncompromisingly committed to the battle against merchants of death who pursue illicit profits from businesses that destroy lives and communities.
“Under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser, our joint operations have resulted in the seizure of over 200 containers followed by coordinated destruction exercises, with unregistered pharmaceutical products comprising 63.7 per cent of seizure values, highlighting the scale of threats that could have inflicted devastating damage on human lives and our social ecosystem if permitted to infiltrate our markets,” he stressed.
He reiterated that the service’s operational synergy with NAFDAC reflects strategic collaboration.
Adeniyi maintained that the MoU-facilitated coordination enables swift responses to emerging threats.
“As a service, we remain committed to making our seaports, airports, and land borders impenetrable barriers against smuggling operations through our unrelenting nationwide anti-contraband initiatives. Our intelligence-led enforcement strategy, enhanced by real-time collaboration with regulatory agencies, has fundamentally transformed our operational capabilities,” Adeniyi added.
He warned stakeholders within the international trade environment that the service in strategic partnership with sister government agencies, will maintain an uncompromising stance on regulatory compliance.
“We shall deploy our full statutory powers of seizure, arrest, investigation, and prosecution of suspects without hesitation. Where it is discovered that haulage operators, bonded terminal owners, or any other trade facilitators are complicit in these illegal activities, such persons or companies will face the full weight of the law. Our intelligence network and technological capabilities have been significantly enhanced to detect and intercept prohibited items regardless of concealment methods or documentation,” he concluded.
Receiving the containers, the director general of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reiterated the agency’s commitment to riding Nigeria’s markets off fake and substandard regulated products.
Adeyeye, who was represented at the event by the Assistant Director in charge of ports, Ayobami Ibrahim, called on citizens to play a more active role in reporting such criminal activities.
Adeyeye noted the challenges posed by the entry of illicit products into Nigerian markets through poorly monitored channels.
“Despite efforts to police our ports and borders, unscrupulous individuals find various means to push these dangerous goods into circulation,” she said.
Highlighting the importance of collaboration, Adeyeye emphasised NAFDAC’s growing synergy with the Nigeria Customs Service to strengthen border surveillance and intercept harmful products before they reach consumers.
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