The Nigeria Customs Service Oyo/Osun Area Command has intercepted a large consignment of counterfeit drugs with a duty-paid value of N596,856,500.
The seized drugs include Analgin Injection, Amoxicillin Capsules (500mg), Buscomac Tablets (10mg), Chloramphenicol Tablets (BP 250mg), and Pentazocine Injection (30mg), among others, which were concealed in sacks and cartons and seized in Iwere Ile, Oke-Ogun, Oyo State.
At a press briefing on Wednesday in Ibadan, Area Controller Dr Ben Oramalugo highlighted the importance of the seizure, calling it a significant crackdown on smuggling and counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
He reported that the Oyo/Osun Command generated a total revenue of N23.9 billion for the third quarter of 2024, with a cumulative total of N56.6 billion from January to September.
Oramalugo credited the command’s revenue success to streamlined procedures and compliance with customs regulations amid challenging financial conditions.
According to him, from August to October 2024, the Command’s anti-smuggling operations yielded various contraband items with a DPV of N755,896,700, including 433 bags of foreign parboiled rice, second-hand clothes, used tyres, and over 700 kg of cannabis sativa.
Addressing the authenticity of the intercepted drugs, Oyo State Director of the NDLEA, Mrs Roseline Ajayi, confirmed their substandard quality.
“Without going to the lab, we determined they were fake and substandard,” she stated, noting that public destruction of these counterfeit drugs will soon take place as part of regulatory actions.
The seized cannabis sativa was handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. Superintendent of Narcotics Abogunrin Olatunji stated that the agency would seek Federal High Court approval for public destruction and invite the press to witness it.
Oramalugo expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, the Oyo State Governor, sister security agencies, and the public for their support, underscoring the command’s commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of Nigerians.
