The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday handed over 25 containers filled with unregistered pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The seized items included sexual enhancement drugs such as REDSUN and HYEGRA (sildenafil citrate products), codeine-containing cough syrups like CSC brands, antibiotic injections including oxytetracycline and artesunate, pain relief medications with diclofenac sodium and paracetamol, skin-lightening creams marketed as GBOGBONISE and SKIN CHEMIST, hip and breast enlargement products, as well as various tablets bearing fake NAFDAC registration numbers.

Addressing reporters at the handover, the Comptroller-General of the Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the shipments, mostly imported from India, have a street value of ₦9.2 billion.

He stated that the handover was a result of ongoing collaboration between Customs and NAFDAC, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November 2024, and the subsequent formation of an implementation committee that has already yielded notable enforcement successes.

The CGC explained that the MoU has facilitated coordinated operations and joint investigations aimed at tracing sources of illicit pharmaceuticals and deploying targeted strategies to dismantle criminal networks.

He said intelligence sharing and inter-agency collaboration have become central to enforcement under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, leading to measurable achievements in public health protection and anti-smuggling efforts.

Adeniyi reaffirmed Customs’ commitment to strengthening the security of seaports, airports and land borders through intelligence-led operations, supported by real-time collaboration with regulatory bodies. The seizures, he said, consisted of 21 forty-foot and four twenty-foot containers containing a range of counterfeit and unregistered pharmaceutical products, along with prohibited substances that pose a grave threat to public health.

These include expired food items such as margarine and chocolate, veterinary medicines like albendazole bolus tablets, anti-malarial drugs such as Artepharm-Artequick, and consumer goods including crusader soap.

Adeniyi added that the seizures expose disturbing patterns of misdeclaration and deliberate attempts to circumvent import regulations.

He praised the operational synergy between Customs and NAFDAC, noting that the Director-General’s timely intelligence—including alerts received even at midnight—has proven critical in intercepting suspicious shipments.

He commended the dedication and technical expertise of NAFDAC officials, which, combined with Customs enforcement capacity, has formed a formidable barrier against smuggling networks.

He said that the Nigeria Customs Service, in collaboration with NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), remains resolute in its fight against those he described as “merchants of death” who profit from the sale of dangerous and unapproved products that harm individuals and communities.

According to him, joint operations coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser have led to the seizure of over 200 containers, with unregistered pharmaceutical products accounting for 63.7 per cent of the total seizure value.

He warned that had these shipments reached the market, they would have posed severe consequences for human life and the nation’s social fabric.