The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area I Command, has intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with expired pharmaceutical products valued at more than N59 million, averting what it described as a potential public health catastrophe.
The seized consignment was formally handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday as part of ongoing inter-agency collaboration to prevent unsafe medicines from entering the Nigerian market.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Customs Area Controller of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, said the interception underscored the Service’s commitment to protecting Nigerians from harmful imports while strengthening border security.
According to her, the seizure followed a joint examination conducted on June 22, 2026, by officers of the Command, NAFDAC and other government agencies in a 40-foot container with the number MRSU3199206 originating from the United States.
She disclosed that the container contained 606 cartons of Ibuprofen Capsules, 173 cartons of Donepezil Hydrochloride Tablets, 266 cartons of Subvenite (Lamotrigine) Tablets, 103 cartons of Lansoprazole Delayed Release Capsules, among other expired pharmaceutical products, with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value exceeding ₦59 million.
Atuluku described the seizure as a major breakthrough in the fight against the importation of expired and substandard medicines.
“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, including treatment failure, drug toxicity, worsening medical conditions, antimicrobial resistance and, in extreme cases, loss of lives,” she said.
She warned that the Nigeria Customs Service would not tolerate attempts by criminal networks to use Nigerian seaports as channels for importing expired, falsified or prohibited pharmaceutical products.
According to the Area Controller, such activities threaten public health, national security and the integrity of the country’s healthcare system.
“The Port Harcourt Area I Command remains unwavering in its resolve to protect the nation’s borders against harmful imports. We will continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, deepen collaboration with sister agencies and sustain rigorous cargo examination to ensure that criminal elements do not exploit our ports for illicit trade,” she stated.
She further warned importers involved in illegal drug shipments that the Service would continue to identify, seize and prosecute offenders in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and other extant laws.
Atuluku commended the professionalism and vigilance of officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, Customs intelligence units, NAFDAC and other security agencies whose coordinated efforts led to the successful interception.
She also praised the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, describing his intelligence-driven enforcement strategy and institutional reforms as instrumental to the Command’s operational successes.
“The achievements recorded by the Port Harcourt Area I Command are a testament to the strategic guidance, continuous support and clear policy direction provided by the Comptroller-General of Customs,” she said.
Receiving the seized items, officials of NAFDAC assured that the expired pharmaceutical products would undergo the agency’s regulatory processes before being destroyed in accordance with established public health and environmental safety procedures.
The latest interception adds to a series of enforcement actions by the Nigeria Customs Service aimed at curbing the influx of dangerous and prohibited goods into the country while reinforcing collaboration among border regulatory agencies to safeguard public health and national security.
