The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Port Command, has recently intercepted a significant haul of contraband, including 12 containers filled with Tramadol, expired pharmaceuticals, and a staggering 27,540 cutlasses and machetes.
The total duty-paid value of these goods is estimated at N1.8 billion.
According to Vanguard, Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, revealed these details during a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday.
He explained that the expired drugs were imported without meeting necessary regulatory standards and lacked required National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control numbers.
Adeniyi stated, “We also have containers that were seized due to false declarations, ostensibly to evade duty payments, which amount to smuggling.”
Among the seized items was a 40ft container initially declared to contain various pharmaceutical products, including baclofen tablets, metoprolol succinate, and others.
However, upon inspection, the container was found to hold expired immune supplements, acyclovir capsules, valsartan tablets, and various other medications with expired dates ranging from April to November 2024.
Another 20ft container was found to hold expired Tramadol and other pharmaceutical products, concealed among expired cartons of analgesics and antiseptics without NAFDAC numbers. Similar findings were reported for additional containers, which contained a mix of codeine,
Tramadol, and other drugs, often hidden among expired items.
In addition to the pharmaceuticals, two 40ft containers were found to contain 27,540 pieces of cutlasses and machetes.
Adeniyi praised the Apapa Customs Area Controller, Mr. Babatunde Olomu, and his team for their successful anti-smuggling efforts.
He highlighted that the Apapa Command manages the highest trade volume and revenue for the NCS, which comes with heightened expectations from both the Service and the government.
He urged port users to engage only in legitimate trade practices and affirmed the NCS’s commitment to safeguarding public health and security through rigorous inspections.
“The Service would not sacrifice the health and security of Nigerians and everyone living in the country on the altar of trade facilitation,” Adeniyi emphasized.
