Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Area II Command, Onne Port, Port Harcourt, has intercepted 16 containers of contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦20.55 billion in the last six months.
Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) Bashir Adewale Adeniyi announced this during a press briefing in Onne, Rivers State.
He said 11 of the seized containers were filled with counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products.
Items confiscated included 9.3 million tablets of Really Extra Diclofenac, 12.6 million tablets of Royal Tapentadol/Tramadol (225mg), 3.5 million tablets of Trodol (5mg), 210,000 tablets of Hyergra (200mg), 717,360 tablets of Bisoveu and 2.2 million tablets of Bassuka (50mg).
Other prohibited goods recovered were 301,000 bottles of codeine syrup (100ml), 9,280 pieces of chilly cutters, 118 ceiling fans, 2,610 plumbing materials and other items concealed among legitimate consumer goods to avoid detection.
Adeniyi commended the vigilance and professionalism of his officers, stating that their efforts prevented harmful products from entering Nigerian markets.
He reaffirmed the Service’s determination to bolster President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by strengthening border security and fostering inter-agency cooperation.
“Smugglers attempting to compromise Nigeria’s health, security and economy will face the full force of the law,” Adeniyi warned.
Receiving the seized goods, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, praised Customs, stating that the products could have endangered many lives if they had reached consumers.
She disclosed that NAFDAC had blacklisted several Indian pharmaceutical companies implicated in shipping counterfeit medicines to Nigeria and assured the public that the agency’s upgraded laboratories would intensify the fight against fake drugs.
Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Area II Command, Comptroller Mohammed Babandede, expressed gratitude to the CGC, attributing the successful operation to strong collaboration between Customs and partner security agencies.
