The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area I Command, has handed over a consignment of intercepted expired pharmaceutical products with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of more than N59 million to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for regulatory action.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, said the seizure underscored the strong collaboration between the NCS and NAFDAC in preventing unsafe pharmaceutical products from entering the Nigerian market.
She said the expired drugs were intercepted on June 22, 2026, during a joint examination conducted by officers of the command, NAFDAC and other government agencies at Shed III of the Port Harcourt Port, reports The Nation.
According to her, the 40-foot container, with number MRSU3199206 and declaration number C No. 354, originated from the United States and contained 606 cartons of Ibuprofen Capsules, 173 cartons of Donepezil Hydrochloride Tablets, 266 cartons of Subvenite (Lamotrigine) Tablets, 103 cartons of Lansoprazole Delayed Release Capsules, among other pharmaceutical products.
Atuluku described the interception as a major success, noting that it averted what could have become a public health disaster.
“Expired medicines are not merely ineffective; they pose serious health risks to consumers. The use of such products can result in treatment failure, drug toxicity, worsening of existing medical conditions, antimicrobial resistance and, in some cases, loss of lives,” she said.
She warned that the Customs Service would not tolerate attempts by criminal networks or unscrupulous importers to use Nigerian ports for the importation of expired, substandard, falsified or prohibited pharmaceutical products.
According to the Area Controller, such activities constitute a direct threat to public health, national security and the integrity of the country’s healthcare system.
She reaffirmed the command’s commitment to strengthening intelligence gathering, enhancing collaboration with sister agencies and sustaining thorough cargo examinations to prevent illicit trade through the nation’s ports.
Atuluku said the interception should serve as a strong warning to importers of prohibited goods that the Nigeria Customs Service remained vigilant and would continue to seize such consignments and prosecute offenders in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and other extant laws.
She commended officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, Customs intelligence units, NAFDAC and other security agencies for their professionalism and vigilance during the operation.
The Customs boss also praised the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for what she described as his transformational leadership, saying his emphasis on intelligence-driven enforcement, inter-agency collaboration, trade facilitation and institutional reforms had strengthened the Service’s operational efficiency nationwide.
