The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has uncovered an attempt to smuggle unregistered pharmaceutical products into the country using a fake registration number belonging to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this during the handover of seized narcotic drugs and expired pharmaceutical products valued at 53.4 billion naira to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and NAFDAC at the Apapa Area Command.
According to Adeniyi, one of the intercepted shipments contained 1,100 packages of CHACOLD Chlorpheniramine Maleate Capsules bearing a fake NAFDAC registration number, along with fraudulent documentation intended to create the impression that the products had received regulatory approval.
He explained that although the shipment initially appeared legitimate, further verification confirmed that the medicines were not registered with NAFDAC.
The Comptroller-General said the use of a fake registration number and supporting documents indicated a deliberate attempt to smuggle unregistered pharmaceutical products into the Nigerian market, posing a serious threat to public health.
Adeniyi added that the fake registration case was one of nine major seizures made by the Apapa Area Command through intelligence gathering, cargo scanning, physical examination, and close collaboration with the NDLEA.
He said the seizures included cannabis, codeine syrup, expired pharmaceutical products, and other prohibited items intercepted in containers arriving at the nation’s busiest seaport.
Among the seizures were two 40-foot containers loaded with Cannabis Sativa concealed alongside imported vehicles, automobile spare parts, and household items. One container held 3,639 parcels of cannabis weighing about 1,819.5 kilograms, while the second contained 9,918 sachets weighing approximately 4.95 metric tonnes.
