The Nigeria Customs Service has announced that its Area II Command, Onne Port in Rivers State the seizure of a large consignment of ,contraband, expired and unwholesome pharmaceutical products ,including hard substances with a street value of over N 46 billion .
With the recent interception of 21 containers the Onne
Customs Area Controller(CAC) of the Command , Mohammed Babandede disclosed this on Monday in Port Harcourt, saying that the Command has recorded the seizure of a total of 63 containers of contraband and unwholesome products within the 2024 operational year
.
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This is even as he informed that the Commanded generated over N550 billion in revenue between January and November ,this year .
According to the Comptroller Babandede , the recent interception comprises twenty 40feet and one 20feet containers all laden with illicit drugs ,which pose a severe threat to public health and safety .
One of the containers ( 20feet) however contains donkey skin ,a highly prohibited item both at the Nigeria and international levels .
Most of the items involved he informed include,Cough syrup Codeine ,Extra Diclofenic tablets ,Trodol Benzhexol and Royal Tapentadol/Tramadol/Tamolx.
Others are Fake/Counterfeit Gonorrhea Antibiotics without NAFDAC registration number,Chlorphenamine,Lemotil Loperamine and other fake mineral supplements .
” These seizures underscore our unwavering commitment to combating illicit medicine and ensuring the safety of public health.
You will recall that exactly two months and seven days ago ,precisely on 4th of September 2024 ,the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi was at Onne port where he showcased series of significant seizures made by the diligent officers of the Area 2 Command .
Twelve (12)Containers were displayed with illicit goods intercepted through the combination of intelligence gathering ,inter agency collaboration and meticulous physical examinations .
The Security concern from the series of seizures of contraband goods made through this port led to the declaration of a three month state of emergency ,where the Command was granted the authority to scrutinize all suspected containers ,regardless of the presence of their owners .
The implementation of this state of emergency by the CGC has proven effective in enhancing our operational capabilities and ensuring that we can act decisively against those seeking to undermine our nation’s security” Babandede stated.
CAC noted ,that before the declaration of the state of emergency ,the Command had seized in fell swoop 844 Riffles ,112 ,500 rounds of ammunition ,a development that triggered alarm within security circles in the country.
Similarly ,according to him,over 6 million bottles of Syrup with Codeine ,56 ,878 ,900 tablets of Tramadol were among the unwholesome pharmaceuticals intercepted at the time ..
He informed that the duty paid value of the over 63 containers so far seized at the Onne Port this year is over N 130 billion .
In the same vein ,he noted that a total of 2,436 408 ,33 Metric tonnes of goods with a free on board FOB value of $ 826 ,613 ,015.87 were processed through the Command .
” Still within the past months of this year ,the Command as at this morning has generated a total revenue of Five Hundred and Fifty Billion ,Four hundred and Thirty one million ,Five hundred and fifty-nine thousand,five hundred and Ninety-Eight Naira ,forty one kobo.( N550,431,559,.598.41).which translate to %89 of the annual target of N618 billion given to the Command” Babandede stated .
Comptroller Babandede appreciated the collaborative efforts of sister security agencies such as NAFDAC, DSS NDLEA ,Quarantine Services and others for the modest feats recorded by the Command .
