The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area I Command, Port Harcourt, has intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with expired pharmaceutical products with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of over ₦50 million, in a major crackdown on the importation of harmful medicines into the country.
The seized consignment was formally handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) during a ceremony held on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Port Harcourt.
Speaking during the handover, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, said the seizure underscored the Command’s unwavering commitment to preventing unsafe and prohibited pharmaceutical products from entering the Nigerian market.
According to her, the interception followed a joint examination conducted on June 22, 2026, by officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command, NAFDAC and other relevant agencies at Shed 111.
She disclosed that the 40-foot container, with Registration Number MRSU 3199206 and Container Number 354, originated from the United States and contained 606 cartons of Ibuprofen capsules, 173 cartons of Donepezil Hydrochloride tablets, 266 cartons of Subvenite tablets, among other expired pharmaceutical products.
Comptroller Atuluku noted that the successful interception had averted what could have been a major public health disaster, stressing that expired medicines pose serious health risks to consumers.
She warned unscrupulous importers and criminal networks that the Port Harcourt Area I Command would not tolerate the importation of expired, substandard or prohibited pharmaceutical products through its area of responsibility.
“The success reflects the unwavering commitment of the Command to ensuring that only safe, genuine and properly regulated pharmaceutical products are allowed into the country. Port Harcourt Area I Command remains resolute in protecting the nation’s borders against harmful and prohibited imports,” she said.
The Customs boss also commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the Service’s management team for their transformational leadership, intelligence-driven enforcement strategy, inter-agency collaboration and commitment to trade facilitation.
Receiving the seized products on behalf of NAFDAC, the Deputy Director, Port Inspection Directorate, Pharm. Adepoju Bayo Raufu, praised the Nigeria Customs Service for its vigilance, professionalism and sustained collaboration in preventing expired and harmful pharmaceutical products from reaching Nigerian consumers.
He assured that NAFDAC would immediately commence the necessary regulatory procedures to ensure the safe destruction of the expired medicines in strict compliance with existing laws, regulatory guidelines and environmental safety standards.
Also speaking, the Zonal Director of NAFDAC, South-South Zone, Pharm. Chukwuma Oligbu, described the handover as a demonstration of the strong partnership between NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service.
He commended Comptroller Atuluku and officers of the Port Harcourt Area I Command for their diligence and professionalism, while calling for sustained collaboration among security, regulatory and enforcement agencies to combat the importation and circulation of expired, substandard, falsified and unsafe pharmaceutical products across Nigeria.
The ceremony concluded with the formal transfer of the intercepted pharmaceutical products and accompanying documentation from the Nigeria Customs Service to NAFDAC for appropriate regulatory action and environmentally safe disposal.
Stakeholders present at the event also applauded Comptroller Atuluku’s leadership and collaborative approach, urging her to sustain efforts aimed at sanitising operations within the Area I Command and enhancing productivity.
