Nigeria Customs Hands Over ₦9.2bn Worth Of Prohibited Pharmaceuticals To NAFDAC At Apapa
Kathy Kyari
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday formally handed over 25 containers filled with counterfeit and unregistered pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, described the seizure and handover as a significant milestone in the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat smuggling and protect public health.
“I am delighted to address this distinguished gathering on our continued efforts to dismantle the networks of illicit pharmaceutical trade and protect the health and wellbeing of Nigerian citizens from the devastating effects of unregistered and prohibited drugs on our society,” the CGC said.
Adeniyi noted that the ceremony marked another tangible outcome of the strategic collaboration between Customs and NAFDAC following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2024 and the recent inauguration of its Implementation Committee.
“The MOU framework enables Customs and NAFDAC to conduct coordinated operations and joint investigations, systematically tracing illicit pharmaceutical sources and deploying targeted enforcement strategies against criminal networks,” he said. “Inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing have been central to our enforcement philosophy, and under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration, this enhanced cooperation has delivered measurable results in protecting public health and combating illicit trade.”
According to the CGC, the intercepted cargo includes codeine-based syrups, unregistered sexual enhancement drugs, antibiotics, skin lightening creams, expired food products, and veterinary medications. He disclosed that the 25 containers comprising 21 forty-foot and 4 twenty-foot containers were laden with an array of unwholesome products with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦9,235,402,973.00.
“These seizures, with an aggregate Duty Paid Value of Nine Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-Five Million, Four Hundred and Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy-Three Naira (₦9,235,402,973.00), represent a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that deliberately exploit regulatory gaps to compromise our national health security,” he added.
Adeniyi provided a breakdown of the seized items, which included sexual enhancement drugs such as REDSUN and HYEGRA sildenafil citrate, codeine-containing cough syrups like CSC brands, antibiotic injections such as oxytetracycline and artesunate, pain medications containing diclofenac sodium and paracetamol, and various products with fake NAFDAC numbers. Expired margarine, chocolate, veterinary drugs like albendazole bolus tablets, antimalarials including artepharm-artequick, and consumer goods such as crusader soap were also part of the seizure.
Highlighting the close coordination with NAFDAC, the CGC praised the agency’s leadership and support.
“The operational synergy we have developed with NAFDAC reflects strategic collaboration at its finest, with the Director-General providing critical intelligence even at midnight about suspicious importations that proves decisive to our anti-smuggling operations,” he said. “This MOU-facilitated coordination enables swift responses to emerging threats, and I commend the Director-General and her dedicated team whose technical expertise, combined with our enforcement capabilities, has created a formidable barrier against criminal networks seeking to compromise our borders.”
The CGC reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to working with NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to clamp down on illegal pharmaceutical traders.
“The Nigeria Customs 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,” he said.
“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% of seizure values.”
Adeniyi warned stakeholders in the trade and logistics chain that the NCS would not tolerate any breach of regulatory protocols.
“Let me once again read the Riot Act to all stakeholders within the international trade environment: the Nigeria Customs 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,” he said.
He also issued a stern warning to bonded terminal operators, freight forwarders, and haulage firms who may be complicit in smuggling activities.
“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,” Adeniyi stated.
The CGC concluded by commending officers of the Apapa Port Command whose vigilance and professionalism led to the successful operation.
“I extend special commendation to our operatives at the Apapa Port Command who, through their vigilance, professionalism, and dedication to duty, successfully executed these complex interdictions, reflecting the core values of our Service and our collective commitment to protecting Nigeria's borders and citizens,” he said.
“This handover ceremony symbolizes our shared commitment to protecting the health and security of our nation, and through continued inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing, and strategic enforcement, we shall ensure that Nigeria's borders remain secure against those who would compromise our national health security for criminal gain.”
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