The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has impounded 27 containers of unregistered pharmaceutical and other prohibited items in the last six months, worth over N9.2billion.
Nine out of the 27 containers, it was gathered, were seized just a couple of days ago.
Addressing reporters in Lagos on Thursday, the Area Controller, Babatunde Olomu, disclosed that “between January-June 2025, twenty-seven containers with a duty paid value of (DPV) of Nine billion, two hundred sixty-seven million, four hundred and forty-three thousand, nine hundred and sixty-six naira (N9,267,443,966.00) in the last six months.
The seizures, Olomu said, “Include 10 containers of unregistered pharmaceuticals, two containers of codeine syrup, two containers of stolen vehicles, four containers of second-hand clothing, amongst others.”
The seized items, the Area Controller added, “are a fallout of our efforts at preventing Nigerians from unwholesome foods and drugs, stopping illicit trade and protecting our local industries.
As a standard, he said, “We will never compromise our health, well-being. Safety of Nigerians on the altar of trade facilitation. Every consignment passing through our port undergoes a diligent check through scanning and physical examination when required.
“Unregistered pharmaceuticals are most prominent on the list of twenty-eight (28) seizures made by the command during the period under review. The seizures comprise controlled drugs, used clothes. codeine syrup, wild animals’ skin and other sundry items.
Olomu emphasised, “That trafficking of wild animals contravenes the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which Nigeria is a signatory to.”
Equally, on the detention list is a container of matches imported without the required End User Certificate (EUC) as provided for in the Customs extant laws.