The Nigeria Customs Service has started destroying 88 containers of expired and fake pharmaceuticals intercepted at seaports and land borders across the country.
The exercise began on Thursday at the Alaro Dumpsite in Epe, Lagos.
Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Enforcement, Inspection, and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, led the operation.
Bomodi, who also heads the committee for identifying, isolating, and destroying illegal pharmaceuticals set up by the National Security Adviser, emphasized the national importance of the operation.
“This exercise cuts across the Federation. We’re starting here in Lagos with about 88 containers. After Lagos, we’ll move to Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Kano. This initiative is very dear to the National Security Adviser, particularly for public health and safety,” Bomodi said.
He added that the destroyed items, worth hundreds of billions of naira, pose severe risks to the health of Nigerians. “The drugs are fake, unregistered, and extremely harmful. They also have security implications, as some of these substances are used by criminals involved in kidnapping and other crimes,” he explained.
The destruction of these pharmaceuticals is part of a collaborative effort between the NCS, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the Office of the NSA.
Bomodi stated, “We are all working together to ensure those who engage in this illegal trade face the law. Beyond destroying the items, prosecutions are ongoing, and some offenders have already been convicted.”
The representative of the National Security Adviser, Commodore Kingsley Ogbonna, reaffirmed the NSA’s commitment to removing fake pharmaceuticals from the system. “The NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is passionate about ensuring harmful items like these do not reach the public. These substances must be destroyed to protect Nigerians,” Ogbonna said.
The destruction exercise will continue in other states as the government intensifies efforts to curb the importation of fake and expired drugs in the country.
