Customs hand over ₦59m expired drugs to NAFDAC

The Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt Area I Command, has handed over a consignment of expired pharmaceutical products with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of more than ₦59 million to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, saying the seizure prevented dangerous medicines from reaching unsuspecting Nigerians.

The handover, according to a statement issued by the service on Wednesday, took place at the command’s headquarters in Port Harcourt and was witnessed by representatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Department of State Services, other security agencies, freight forwarding associations and industry stakeholders.

The statement read, “The Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt Area I Command, on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, formally handed over a consignment of intercepted expired medicaments to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control at the Command’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.”

Speaking during the ceremony, the Customs Area Controller of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, said the seizure underscored the command’s determination to stop harmful and prohibited pharmaceutical products from entering the Nigerian market.

She disclosed that the expired drugs were intercepted during a joint cargo examination conducted by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service in collaboration with NAFDAC and other relevant government agencies.

Atuluku said, “The seizure was a clear demonstration of the Command’s commitment to preventing harmful and prohibited pharmaceutical products from finding their way into Nigerian markets. The expired medicaments were intercepted during a joint examination conducted by officers of the Command in collaboration with NAFDAC and other relevant agencies.”

She added, “The consignment contained several cartons of expired pharmaceutical products with a Combined Insurance and Freight value of over N59m.”

The Customs boss warned that allowing expired medicines into circulation could have posed severe health consequences for millions of Nigerians.

The Comptroller commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for supporting intelligence-led operations and strengthening inter-agency cooperation.

Receiving the seized items on behalf of NAFDAC, the agency’s Deputy Director of the Port Inspection Directorate, Pharm. Adepoju Raufu, praised the Customs Service for preventing the expired drugs from entering the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain.

He assured that the agency would immediately commence the necessary regulatory procedures to ensure the safe disposal of the expired medicaments in accordance with established laws and guidelines.