Customs Intercepts ₦59 Million Expired Drug Shipment, Hands Over Consignment to NAFDAC
Customs Intercepts ₦59 Million Expired Drug Shipment, Hands Over Consignment to NAFDAC
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area I Command, has intercepted a consignment of expired pharmaceutical products valued at over ₦59 million, preventing the products from entering the Nigerian market and handing them over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for safe disposal.
The handover ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Command Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in the presence of representatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Department of State Services (DSS), freight forwarding associations, other security agencies and key stakeholders in the maritime industry.
Speaking during the event, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, described the seizure as a major public health intervention and a reflection of the Service’s commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of Nigerians.
She disclosed that the expired medicaments were intercepted during a joint cargo examination conducted by officers of the Command in collaboration with NAFDAC and other relevant agencies.
According to her, the consignment comprised several cartons of expired pharmaceutical products with a Combined Insurance and Freight (CIF) value exceeding ₦59 million.
Comptroller Atuluku warned that allowing such products into the country’s supply chain could have posed serious health risks, including treatment failure, drug toxicity and the development of antimicrobial resistance.
She reaffirmed the Nigeria Customs Service’s determination to prevent expired, substandard, falsified and other prohibited products from entering the country, stressing that the Service would continue to strengthen border enforcement and cargo inspection to protect public health.
The Customs Area Controller attributed the Command’s enforcement successes to the strategic leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, noting that his support for intelligence-driven operations and enhanced inter-agency collaboration has strengthened efforts to secure Nigeria’s borders and protect consumers.
Receiving the seized consignment on behalf of NAFDAC, the Deputy Director of the agency’s Port Inspection Directorate, Pharm. Adepoju Raufu, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for its vigilance and professionalism.
He assured that NAFDAC would immediately commence the necessary regulatory procedures to ensure the safe destruction of the expired pharmaceuticals in accordance with established laws and regulatory guidelines.
Also speaking, the South-South Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Pharm. Chukwuma Oligbu, lauded the leadership of Comptroller Atuluku and officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command for their unwavering commitment to public safety.
He said the successful interception underscored the strong partnership between NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service in combating the importation of unsafe pharmaceutical products, stressing that sustained collaboration among relevant agencies remains essential to protecting Nigerians from harmful and substandard medicines.
The interception marks another significant enforcement success by the Nigeria Customs Service in its ongoing efforts to curb the illicit importation of dangerous goods and safeguard public health across the country.
By TimesNG