Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Area 2 Command, Onne in Rivers State, have intercepted 20 containers laden with illicit drugs with a duty paid value of N13.5 billion.
The outgoing Controller of Area 11 Command Onne, Comptroller Mohammed Babandede, disclosed this while displaying the seized containers before newsmen in Onne on Wednesday.
Babandede later handed over the leadership of the Command to his successor, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali.
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He said the intercepted containers were laden with 1,195,400 bottles of codeine syrup, 3,200,000 tablets of extra Diclofenac, 3,500,000 tablets of benzhexol, 1,633 cartons of laboratory equipment and 2,612,400 analgin injection packages.
Other drugs in the container were 239,400 packages of diluent ampoules of atesunate injection and 399,700 packages of diluent ampoules of expired aretemac injection.
Babandede said the drugs which were imported from India were carefully smuggled using the tactics of concealing them under the disguise of regular imports of 6,720 pieces of chilly cutters, 192 cartons of bench vice, 30 pieces of ceiling fans, 479 pieces of plumbing materials, 6,048 pieces of blades and other items such as hoes, wall lights, bale of used clothes and gallons of sahala vegetable oil.
Babandede said Nigeria has long struggled with the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard medication which he said posed a significant risk to public health with potential fatal outcomes.
He said, “Exactly six weeks ago, the Comptroller-General of Customs and Director General of NAFDAC were here, where some containers of illicit medicine were intercepted and handed over to NAFDAC.
Their joint visit wasn’t just specifically about the intercepted containers of illicit medicine but marked a significant step in their collaborative efforts to combat fake and substandard drugs.
“In furtherance of this commitment to public health and safety, I am pleased to share a recent significant breakthrough in our ongoing efforts to combat illicit trade in medicine. I will brief you on recent interceptions of containers of different types of illicit pharmaceuticals and other goods.
“Some people take illicit medicine for different reasons without a professional medical prescription. For example, codeine syrup and tramadol might be misused for their euphoric effects or to feel relaxed, which often leads to addiction, dependence and crime. The Command successfully intercepted a total of 20 containers with a combined duty paid value of N13,573,430,630.00.
“The highlight of the drugs intercepted were: 1,195,400 bottles of codeine syrup, 3,200,000 tablets of extra Diclofenac, 3,500,000 tablets of benzhexol, 1,633 cartons of laboratory equipment and 2,612,400 analgin injection packages. Other were 239,400 packages of diluent ampoules of atesunate injection and 399,700 packages of diluent ampoules of expired aretemac injection.”
He added, “The drugs which were imported from India were carefully snuggled using the tactics of concealing then under the disguise of regular imports of 6,720 pieces of chilly cutters, 192 cartons of bench vice, 30 pieces of ceiling fans, 479 pieces of plumbing materials, 6,048 pieces of blades and other items such as hoes, wall lights, bale of used clothes and gallons of sahala vegetable oil.”
He further said the total dedication and commitment of the officers of the command to duty played a crucial role in successfully executing the interdictions.
This came barely a day after the command announced that it generated a total of N859bn as revenue between May 2024 and July 2025.
It also said it intercepted different contrabands worth N200bn within the period under review.
