11 containers containing illegal and unregistered pharmaceutical products have been turned over from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at Onne Port, Rivers State.
The Customs Area II Command officers, working with the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), intercepted the containers, which were valued at N20,545,999,200 in duty.
Hazardous pharmaceutical materials that may have been unlawfully smuggled into Nigeria were found in the seized containers.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, explained the operation during the formal transfer on Friday as a component of a reenergized interagency effort to stop the flow of illegal and counterfeit medications into the nation.
He disclosed that in order to carry out the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that both Customs and NAFDAC had signed, a combined task force had been constituted.
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We started implementing the Memorandum of Understanding between NCS and NAFDAC in Abuja just two weeks ago. Our combined efforts to stop the unlawful importation of unregistered medicinal products are currently spearheaded by this committee,” Adeniyi stated.
Reiterating the agency’s commitment to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goal of strengthening national security, protecting public health, and tightening border security, he said that this is the second significant narcotics seizure in as many weeks.
When the containers arrived, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, hailed the action as a noteworthy example of inter-agency cooperation meant to shield Nigerians from dangerous pharmaceuticals.
