Customs intercepts N1.4bn expired drugs in S/West region

The Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has impounded expired drugs worth over N1.422 billion in the South West region between September 2022 and March 2023.

Furthermore, the FOU said it also intercepted N694.5 million worth of contraband cargoes in March 2023. It said the goods were allegedly being smuggled into the country from Benin Republic by criminal gangs.

Addressing news men in Lagos, the Acting Controller in charge of FOU Zone A, Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu, said the drugs were allegedly imported into the country from India.

Ejibunu noted that all the drugs, which expired in November 2021, would have found their way into the open market if not for the reworked strategy employed by the Unit to block all areas of revenue leakages.

“The drugs are expired, illicit and did not comply with the statutory import requirements.

“The drugs which were intercepted at different times and locations are constructively warehoused in 39 x 140 ft and 2 x 20 ft containers. They have been handed over to National Agency for Food Drug and Control (NAFDAC) for possible destruction and the seizures have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1,422,000,000)” he added.

Ejibunu further said that the unit also intercepted 6,228 bags of foreign parboiled rice, which he said is equivalent to 11 trailer loads, 35,325 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS) and 279 Cartons of foreign poultry.

“105 parcels (50kg) of cannabis sativa, 2 x 40 ft containers said to contain 883 bales of used clothes and eight units of foreign used (Tokunbo) vehicles are among the seizures” he said.

Also speaking at the official handover, the Director of Investigations and Operations of NAFDAC, Mr. Francis Ononiwu, described the catch as a very big seizure which ordinarily would have found its way into the market.

He said NAFDAC would conduct further investigations to unravel those behind the importation of the expired drugs.

“We have actually intercepted some of these drugs in the past. We will carry out detailed investigation to see if the importers are among those on our watch list or if they are new ones

“As you can see, the drugs expired in November 2021. If not that officials of the Nigeria Customs Service impounded the drugs, those behind the illegal import would have changed the date on the packets,” he added.