The Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized expired drugs worth over N1.422 billion in the South West region in the last six months, between September 2022 and March 2023.
In its bid to rid the nation of illicit and harmful drugs, the Federal Operations also claimed to have impounded N694.5 million worth of contraband cargoes in March 2023, adding that the goods were allegedly being smuggled into the country from Benin Republic by criminal gangs.
The Acting Controller in charge of FOU Zone A, Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu, briefing journalists in Lagos recently, said the drugs, most of which expired since November 2021 were stopped from finding their way into the open market through the relentless effort of the Unit, noting that the drugs suspected to have been imported into the country from India.
“The drugs are expired, illicit and did not comply with the statutory import requirements.
“The drugs which were intercepted at different times and locations are constructively warehoused in 39 x 140 ft and 2 x 20 ft containers. They have been handed over to National Agency for Food Drug and Control (NAFDAC) for possible destruction and the seizures have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1,422,000,000)” he added.
The Acting Controller also said that the unit also intercepted 6,228 bags of foreign parboiled rice, which he said is equivalent to 11 trailer loads, 35,325 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS) and 279 Cartons of foreign poultry.
“105 parcels (50kg) of cannabis sativa, 2 x 40 ft containers said to contain 883 bales of used clothes and eight units of foreign used (Tokunbo) vehicles are among the seizures” he said.