Customs Hands Over N9.2 Billion Worth of Unregistered Pharmaceuticals to NAFDAC 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Friday handed over 25 containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products — including hip and breast enlargement products, sexual enhancement drugs, and other banned substances — to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who handed over the seized containers to the representatives of NAFDAC in Apapa, stated that the seized goods have a cumulative value of about ₦9.24 billion.

He described the seizures as part of a sustained crackdown on counterfeit and unregulated pharmaceuticals, made possible through a productive collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and NAFDAC, coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

According to him, the partnership has so far led to the interception of over 200 containers of fake and unregistered medical products.

In a bid to strengthen regulatory oversight, Adeniyi announced a review of the policy regarding the transfer of containers to bonded terminals across the country. He said henceforth, the examination of pharmaceutical imports will be restricted to four designated Customs commands: Apapa Port, PTML Terminal, Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, and Onne Port in Rivers State.

Adeniyi disclosed that the 25 containers, comprising 21 forty-foot units and four twenty-foot units, contained a range of unregistered and counterfeit products, including codeine-based preparations, sexual enhancement drugs such as REDSUN and HYEGRA sildenafil citrate, antibiotic injections like oxytetracycline and artesunate, and pain relief medications containing diclofenac sodium and paracetamol. Other items included skin lightening creams marketed as ‘gbogbonise’ and ‘skin chemist’, various tablets with fake NAFDAC registration numbers, and cosmetic enhancement products for hips and breasts.

Also among the seizures were expired food items such as margarine and chocolate, veterinary drugs like albendazole bolus tablets, antimalarial medications including artepharm-artequick, and consumer products such as crusader soap.

Adeniyi described the consignment as a sophisticated and diversified portfolio of contraband, posing grave risks to public health, consumer safety, and regulatory integrity.

He highlighted the importance of the ongoing partnership with NAFDAC, which was strengthened by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2024.

The recently inaugurated implementation committee, he said, is already yielding tangible results in the fight against dangerous and unwholesome products.

The MOU has facilitated coordinated investigations and operations, enabling the two agencies to trace illicit pharmaceutical supply chains and act decisively against trafficking networks.

The Customs chief reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s ports, airports, and borders remain fortified against smuggling activities.

He credited intelligence-led enforcement, real-time inter-agency collaboration, and technological upgrades for enhancing operational effectiveness.

He also praised NAFDAC Director-General Professor Moji Adeyeye and her team for their responsiveness, revealing that actionable intelligence from NAFDAC — sometimes received at midnight — has played a pivotal role in Customs operations.

Adeniyi declared that the Customs Service, in partnership with NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, remains unyielding in its stance against traffickers who endanger lives for profit.

Under the oversight of the National Security Adviser, the agencies have carried out coordinated destruction of seized goods, with unregistered pharmaceuticals accounting for 63.7 percent of the total seizure value—underscoring the scale of the threat these products pose to society.

Reiterating a firm warning to stakeholders in the international trade ecosystem, Adeniyi stated that the Nigeria Customs Service will exercise its full legal powers to seize, investigate, and prosecute individuals or organisations found to be complicit in smuggling activities.

Haulage operators, bonded terminal owners, or any trade facilitators involved in such illegal operations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

He added that the Service’s intelligence network and surveillance technology have been significantly upgraded to detect and intercept banned goods, regardless of the methods used to conceal them.

The 25 containers were officially received on behalf of NAFDAC by the agency’s Port Director, Abayomi Ibrahim.