The Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted and impounded expired drugs worth over N1.422 billion between September 2022 and March 2023. The Acting Controller in charge of FOU Zone A, Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu, said the drugs were allegedly imported into the country from India and did not comply with statutory import requirements.
The drugs were constructively warehoused in 39 x 140 ft and 2 x 20 ft containers before being handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Control (NAFDAC) for possible destruction. Ejibunu added that the unit also seized 6,228 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 35,325 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS), 279 cartons of foreign poultry, 105 parcels (50kg) of cannabis sativa, 2 x 40 ft containers containing 883 bales of used clothes, and eight units of foreign used vehicles (Tokunbo).
In addition, FOU Zone A intercepted contraband cargoes worth N694.5 million in March 2023, which were allegedly being smuggled into the country from Benin Republic by criminal gangs. The seizures have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N2.116 billion.
Director of Investigations and Operations of NAFDAC, Mr. Francis Ononiwu, described the catch as a very big seizure, and said NAFDAC would conduct further investigations to unravel those behind the importation of the expired drugs. Ononiwu noted that the drugs had expired in November 2021 and 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. He further stated that detailed investigations would be carried out to determine if the importers were among those on their watchlist or if they were new ones.
Share Your Thoughts