Customs Intercept N20.5bn Drugs Disguised As Tomato Pastes

…Smugglers Are Merchants Of Death—NAFDAC

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 16 containers loaded with illicit pharmaceutical products at Onne Port in Rivers State.

The items include 40-foot containers of illicit medicines, four micro containers of bottled water, and one container of salt

The development comes barely a week after officers impounded 25 containers of substandard medical devices at the Apapa Port.

According to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the products valued at over N20.5bn were concealed as “tomato paste, ceiling fans, and plumbing materials”, in a bid to beat security surveillance.

A statement signed by the NCS Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the seized items included “1.3 million bottles of codeine syrup (100ml each), 9.3 million tablets of Really Extra Diclofenac, and 12.6 million tablets of Royal Tramadol (225mg).

“Also intercepted were other unregistered and banned pharmaceuticals such as Trodol, Hyergra, Bisoveu, and Bassuka.

“This seizure sends a clear message to criminal networks: the Nigeria Customs Service, in partnership with our enforcement counterparts, maintains zero tolerance for smuggling.

“We will bring the full weight of the law to bear on all perpetrators,” Adeniyi warned.

While receiving the consignment, the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, expressed alarm at the scale and danger the intercepted pharmaceuticals pose.

“Frankly, it was shocking. These products could destroy lives: Codeine, Tramadol, and counterfeit painkillers. The fact that some were hidden in tomato paste shows clear criminal intent. This isn’t business; this is murder for profit,” she said.

She assured that the agency would subject all seized items to laboratory testing, documentation, and destruction, adding that NAFDAC’s facilities are certified by the World Health Organisation and staffed by internationally trained personnel.

“We are WHO-certified, with international-standard laboratories and well-trained personnel. These products will never make it into the Nigerian market,” she affirmed.

Professor Adeyeye described the perpetrators as “merchants of death” and reiterated that Nigeria will not become a dumping ground for substandard or falsified pharmaceutical products.

The Customs Area Controller of PH II Onne Command, Comptroller Muhammed Babandede, commended the collaboration between the NCS and its security partners, noting that the success reflected the Service’s strategy of “unity through cooperation, consolidation, and innovation.”