The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 11 containers of illicit and unregistered pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at Onne Port, Rivers State.
Valued at ₦20.5 billion in duties, the containers were seized by officers of the Customs Area II Command in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The confiscated consignments contained hazardous pharmaceutical substances suspected to have been illegally smuggled into the country.
Speaking at the official handover ceremony on Friday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, described the interception as part of a renewed inter-agency effort to curb the influx of counterfeit and unapproved drugs into Nigeria.
Adeniyi disclosed that a joint task force has been established by Customs and NAFDAC to implement the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both agencies.
“Only two weeks ago in Abuja, we began executing the MoU between NCS and NAFDAC. This committee now drives our collaborative actions to stop the illegal importation of unregistered medical products,” Adeniyi stated.
He added that this is the second major pharmaceutical seizure in two weeks, underscoring the Service’s commitment to supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda of strengthening border security, protecting public health, and enhancing national security.
Receiving the containers, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, commended the effort as a clear demonstration of inter-agency collaboration to shield Nigerians from unsafe medical products.
