The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area I Command, has handed over expired pharmaceutical products with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of over ₦59 million to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), warning that the interception averted a major public health crisis.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Port Harcourt, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, said the seized consignment comprised 1,148 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products intercepted in a 40-foot container originating from the United States.
She disclosed that the container, with number MRSU3199206, was jointly examined by officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, NAFDAC and other government agencies on 22 June 2026.
According to her, the seizure included 606 cartons of Ibuprofen Capsules, 173 cartons of Donepezil Hydrochloride Tablets, 266 cartons of Subvenite (Lamotrigine) Tablets and 103 cartons of Lansoprazole Delayed Release Capsules, among other pharmaceutical products.
“The interception of this consignment prevented what could have been a major public health disaster. Expired medicines are not merely ineffective; they pose serious health risks to consumers.”
Atuluku explained that the use of expired drugs could result in treatment failure, drug toxicity, worsening medical conditions, antimicrobial resistance and, in some cases, death if allowed to reach the market.
She warned that the Nigeria Customs Service would not tolerate attempts by unscrupulous importers and criminal networks to use the nation’s seaports for the importation of expired, substandard, falsified or prohibited pharmaceutical products.
“Let this interception serve as a clear warning to those engaged in the importation of expired pharmaceutical products and other prohibited items that the Nigeria Customs Service is fully alert and will continue to identify, intercept and seize such goods while bringing offenders to justice in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and other extant laws.”
The Customs Area Controller reaffirmed the command’s commitment to strengthening intelligence gathering, deepening collaboration with sister agencies and sustaining robust cargo examinations to protect the country’s borders and public health.
She commended officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, Customs intelligence units, NAFDAC and other security agencies for their professionalism and teamwork, describing the successful interception as another example of effective inter-agency collaboration.
Atuluku also lauded the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for his leadership, saying his reforms in intelligence-driven enforcement, trade facilitation and inter-agency cooperation had strengthened the Service’s operational effectiveness.
She assured Nigerians that the Port Harcourt Area I Command would remain resolute in preventing the importation of harmful and prohibited goods while working with relevant agencies to safeguard the nation’s health and security.
