The Nigeria Customs Service, Area 2 Command, Onne Ports, has intercepted 16 containers loaded with illicit pharmaceutical products and other contraband items, with a duty-paid value of ₦20.549 billion.
Announcing the seizure at a press briefing on Friday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the items were smuggled into the country through deceptive methods aimed at evading regulatory scrutiny. He explained that the discovery followed intensified intelligence-led operations conducted in collaboration with sister agencies.
“The Nigeria Customs Service remains steadfast in its commitment to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s policy objectives of securing our borders, protecting public health, and safeguarding national security,” Adeniyi stated.
“Our anti-smuggling operations align directly with the administration’s comprehensive approach to combating transnational organised crime and ensuring that Nigeria’s borders remain impenetrable to criminal enterprises seeking to compromise our sovereignty.”
According to him, the strategic partnerships with agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and the Office of the National Security Adviser—through memoranda of understanding and joint operational frameworks—have significantly enhanced the Customs’ enforcement capabilities.
He added, “Building upon our operational successes, the Service has intensified intelligence-led enforcement across all commands, focusing particularly on high-risk corridors and ports of entry.”
Referencing Section 246 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, Adeniyi noted that the Port Harcourt II Area Command had conducted several targeted interdictions. He stated:
“Pursuant to Section 246 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and in the exercise of powers conferred therein, the Port Harcourt II Area Command has executed a series of targeted interdictions that underscore our operational effectiveness in protecting Nigerian citizens from the infiltration of prohibited substances.”
He revealed that 11 of the 16 intercepted containers held illegal pharmaceutical products, which included:
- 1,301,000 bottles of Codeine Syrup (100ml each),
- 9,300,000 tablets of Really Extra Diclofenac,
- 12,600,000 tablets of Royal Tapentadol/Tramadol (225mg each),
- 3,500,000 tablets of Trodol (5mg each),
- 210,000 tablets of Hyergra (200mg each),
- 717,360 tablets of Bisoveu,
- 2,200,000 tablets of Bassuka (50mg each).
Adeniyi explained the contraband items were hidden among legitimate consumer goods such as 9,280 pieces of chilly cutters, 118 ceiling fans, 2,610 plumbing materials, 2,268 Smart Tech vehicle parts, 97,200 tins of tomato paste, and 700 cartons of cream.
“This modus operandi represents calculated attempts to exploit legitimate trade channels while evading regulatory scrutiny,” he said.
The Customs boss warned of the health and security threats posed by such illegal imports. “Unregulated drugs pose severe risks including drug addiction, compromised treatment outcomes, and the facilitation of organised criminal activities that threaten community safety and national stability.”
He lauded the vigilance and professionalism of the officers involved in the operation, stating,
“The Nigeria Customs Service reaffirms its commitment to supporting President Tinubu’s security and economic transformation agenda through enhanced border management, inter-agency collaboration, and sustained anti-smuggling operations.
We will deploy all necessary resources to ensure that Nigeria’s borders remain secure against those who seek to compromise national health, security, and economic prosperity.
We hereby serve notice to all criminal networks attempting to use Nigeria’s borders for illicit activities: the Nigeria Customs Service, in partnership with sister agencies, maintains zero tolerance for smuggling operations and will pursue the full weight of the law against all perpetrators.”
Also speaking at the event, Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, applauded the Customs for their vigilance and operational efficiency.
“Their work at the frontline of import control is indispensable in preventing potentially harmful products from reaching our shelves.”
“This handover underscores a critical message that our borders are not open to compromise when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of all of us,” she said
She assured that NAFDAC would continue enforcing strict regulatory oversight, adding,
“NAFDAC with its internationally certified laboratories and adequately trained staff will continue to undertake due diligence in the areas of facility, goods manufacturing practice inspection, laboratory testing and other regulatory procedure to guarantee that our regulated products are certified as fit and wholesome to allow for importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and consumption.”
