Customs Intercepts N921bn Medicaments, Others at Apapa Port
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has raised the alarm over the increasing presence of unregistered pharmaceutical products in different markets across the country, insisting that the dangers associated with its consumption cannot be overlooked.
The alarm followed the seizures of various pharmaceutical products and other items valued at N921 billion, intercepted by the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs between January and April 2025.
The seizures comprised five units of 40-foot containers, two units of 20-foot containers and four additional seizures of loosely concealed contraband items.
Showcasing the seizures at the Lagos Ports Complex on Wednesday, Adeniyi stated that the Service has intensified surveillance across unauthorised points of entries, specifically seaports, airports and approved land borders in pursuant to the National Strategic Economic Development Plan and the executive order on port operations.
The CGC disclosed that strategies adopted is in direct response to the adaptive methodologies being deployed by transnational criminal networks seeking to compromise the Customs border security architecture and circumvent established import protocols.
He stated that of particular concern to the service is the alarming prevalence of unregistered pharmaceutical products entering the country’s supply chain, which he said are imported without requisite regulatory approvals and quality assurance certifications.
He said all the items seized constitute a clear present danger to public health with potentials to cause significant morbidity and mortality if permitted to infiltrate the nation’s domestic markets.
According to him, Customs, in collaboration with other agencies of government, in exercise of its mandates, have therefore escalated its risk assessment protocols at all points of entry.
“I am going to be specifically talking about what has happened in this command, which between January and April 2025 has executed a series of targeted interdictions resulting in the seizure of prohibited and restricted imports.
“These operations yielded a total of 11 seizures comprising five units of 40-foot containers, two units of 20-foot containers and four additional seizures of loosely concealed contraband items. We are going to be seeing them. The duty paid values of all this amounts to 921 billion naira.
“All these items fall into three different categories. The first category is that of unregistered pharmaceutical products lacking mandatory NAVDAC registration numbers and certification, which is a direct confirmation of Section 28 of NAVDAC Act, Cap N-1, laws of the Federation and this constitutes 63.7% of the total seizures that we have today, more than half of them. In the second category are expired food items with compromised safety profiles that pose imminent danger to public health if introduced into the consumer market in violation of the food products registrations and regulations and pre-shipment inspections of exports act.
“The third category is that of controlled equipment including drone technology and telecommunication devices imported without the requisite end user certificates from the Office of the National Security Advisor. And if you want to break down this further, the first 40-footer container CAAU6514500 has 89 cartons of unregistered pharmaceutical products. The second container, a 40-footer TCNU6880130 has 242 cartons of unregistered pharmaceutical products.
“The third 40-footer container MRSU3041714 has 1,001 cartons and packages of hydra-sildanafil citrate tablets. These are also lacking requisite NAFDAC registrations. The third 40-footer container has 1,400 packages of original so-called original chest and lungs beta plus big booty tablets also unregistered.”
