Customs Intercepts Over 4,000 Illicit Drug Units in Port Harcourt, Hands Seizure to NAFDAC
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area I Command, has intercepted more than 4,000 units of improperly declared pharmaceutical products and handed them over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in a move aimed at protecting Nigerians from unsafe and unregulated medicines.
The interception was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, 12 February 2026, and signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASC I Aanee Barilule.
The formal handover ceremony took place at the NAHCO Shed, Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, under the supervision of the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku.
Addressing journalists at the event, Comptroller Atuluku revealed that the seizure resulted from routine cargo examination and intelligence-driven operations carried out by officers of the Command in collaboration with other relevant agencies.
“During examination at the NAHCO Shed, our officers uncovered six packages of pharmaceutical products, including Menotrophin 150 IU injections, Progesterone and Isifrane, as well as three packages of medicaments containing Tramadol Ratiopharm injections,” she stated.
She explained that the items were discovered in two separate consignments and were neither properly declared nor accompanied by the mandatory NAFDAC certification required for lawful importation into Nigeria.
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“These products were brought into the country without proper declaration and without the required regulatory clearance. No pharmaceutical product is permitted entry into Nigeria without full compliance with NAFDAC regulations, regardless of the importer or the volume involved,” Atuluku said.
Describing the act as a deliberate misdeclaration, the Customs Area Controller stressed that the Command would not compromise on its statutory responsibility to safeguard public health.
“This deliberate misdeclaration is unacceptable. Our responsibility is to protect Nigerians from harmful, unregulated and substandard pharmaceutical products. We will not compromise on that duty,” she added.
Comptroller Atuluku noted that the action aligns with one of the key policy thrusts of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, particularly the emphasis on collaboration and intelligence-driven enforcement.
She commended officers of the Customs Intelligence Unit and other personnel involved in the operation, reiterating the importance of sustained inter-agency cooperation in safeguarding public health and maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain.
Responding on behalf of NAFDAC, the Deputy Director of the Agency’s Port Inspection Directorate, Pharm. Adepoju Raufu, lauded the NCS for its vigilance and prompt handover of the seized consignments.
“The collaboration between NAFDAC and the NCS is essential in preventing unregistered and potentially dangerous pharmaceutical products from entering the Nigerian market,” he said.
Raufu assured that the confiscated items would undergo appropriate regulatory procedures in line with the Agency’s mandate.
“We will take the necessary regulatory steps to ensure that these products are properly handled in accordance with the law and in the interest of public health,” he added.
