In what officials are calling one of the largest pharmaceutical interceptions in recent years, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 16 containers loaded with contraband and falsely declared goods, including illicit pharmaceuticals valued at a staggering ₦20.5 billion.
The seizure was announced Friday at the Onne Port in Rivers State by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, who led journalists through the inspection of the intercepted items during a press briefing at the Customs Area 2 Command Headquarters.
According to Adeniyi, the containers — 11 of which were stuffed with dangerous and unregistered drugs — were concealed under layers of legitimate consumer goods such as tomato paste, ceiling fans, plumbing materials, and even car parts in an attempt to evade detection. The illegal contents included over 1.3 million bottles of Codeine syrup, 12.6 million tablets of Tapentadol/Tramadol, and several other unregulated prescription drugs with high abuse potential.
“This represents a calculated attempt to exploit Nigeria’s trade channels and flood the market with potentially dangerous substances,” Adeniyi said, warning that the public health consequences could have been catastrophic.
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