The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has handed over 25 seized containers filled with unregistered and prohibited pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC at the Apapa Port, Lagos.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who presided over the handover, described the seizure as a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against illicit drug trade in Nigeria.
The development follows the strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between NCS and NAFDAC in November 2024 and the inauguration of a joint implementation committee.
According to Adeniyi, the containers; comprising 21 forty-foot and 4 twenty-foot units; contained a wide array of unregistered drugs and prohibited substances, including codeine-based cough syrups, sexual enhancement pills, fake antibiotic injections, skin lightening creams, and expired food products.
“These seizures, with a Duty Paid Value of N9,235,402,973, represent a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that deliberately exploit regulatory gaps to compromise our national health security,” he stated.
The CGC detailed patterns of misdeclaration and import violations used to conceal the illicit goods, which also included veterinary drugs and other consumer products such as soap and margarine.
He praised the collaborative efforts with NAFDAC, noting that intelligence sharing sometimes “even at midnight” had proven decisive in intercepting these dangerous shipments.
“Our synergy with NAFDAC and other agencies like NDLEA under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser has led to the seizure of over 200 containers, with pharmaceutical products accounting for 63.7% of the total value,” he said.
Adeniyi warned all actors in the international trade chain hauliers, bonded terminal operators, and facilitators that anyone found complicit in smuggling activities would face the full weight of the law.
He also commended Customs operatives at the Apapa Port Command for their vigilance and professionalism in executing the seizures.
“This handover ceremony symbolizes our shared commitment to protecting the health and security of our nation,” the CGC concluded.