ABUJA: The Nigeria Customs Service on Tuesday said it confiscated substandard anti-malaria drugs and antibiotics, valued at N20million. The drugs were being smuggled into the country through the Nigeria/Benin Republic border at idiroko in Ogun State.
The Area Controller of the Ogun State Command of the service, Multafu Waindu, said 500 bags of smuggled rice were also seized.
“The fake drugs were on onward transportation into the country to be sold in the open market.”
Mr. Waindu, who later handed over the confiscated drugs to the representative of National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, said the command would not relent in its efforts to curtail smuggling activities in the state.
The officer in charge, Port Inspection Directorate of NAFDAC in Idiroko, Datol Andrew, said the confiscation has saved over a million Nigerians from falling victim to fake drugs use.
Andrew, however, expressed his disappointment that the importer of the drugs was not nabbed to serve as a deterrent to others who engage in such act.
He said the agency would continue to work in partnership with the Customs to ensure illicit drugs and food items were prevented from finding their way into the country.
On the seized rice, the Customs chief the seizure was a fallout of raids by operatives of the command on an illegal warehouse at Okere Creek near Bawe Gbo, in Ipokia Local Government area of the state.
Mr. Waindu said his officers, acting on a tip-off, invaded the warehouse and seized the rice with duty value of N5.1 million. He said all the seized items were deposited at the Customs premises at Idiroko.
