Says Importers are diversifying contraband portfolios
The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Services, NCS CGC Adewale Adeniyi, said that importers are diversifying their contraband portfolios combining pharmaceuticals, food items and control technology in systematic shipments.
Meanwhile, Apapa Command of the NCS made a total of 11 seizures comprising five units of 40-foot containers, two units of 20-foot containers and four additional seizures of loosely concealed contraband items, with a duty paid values DPV of N921 million between January and April 2025.
Speaking at a media briefing held at Apapa Command, Adeniyi said all these items fall into three different categories.
The first category is that of unregistered pharmaceutical products lacking mandatory NAFDAC registration numbers and certification.
In the second category are expired food items with compromised safety profiles that pose imminent danger to public health if introduced into the consumer market in violation of the food products registrations and regulations and pre-shipment inspections of exports act.
He explained that the third category is that of controlled equipment including drone technology and telecommunication devices imported without the requisite end user certificates from the Office of the National Security Advisor.
Adeniyi said: “pursuant to the National Strategic Economic Development Plan, and the executive order on port operations, we have intensified surveillance across unauthorized points of entries, specifically seaports, airports and approved land borders.
This is in direct response to the adaptive methodologies being deployed by transactional, transnational criminal networks seeking to compromise our border security architecture and circumvent established import protocols.
“Of particular concern is the alarming prevalence of unregistered pharmaceutical products entering our supply chain without requisite regulatory approvals and quality assurance certifications.
“This item constitutes a clear present danger to public health with potentials to cause significant morbidity and mortality if permitted to infiltrate our domestic markets.
Customs, in collaboration with other agencies of government, in exercise of our mandates, have therefore escalated our risk assessment protocols at all points of entry.
“These operations yielded a total of 11 seizures comprising five units of 40-foot containers, two units of 20-foot containers and four additional seizures of loosely concealed contraband items. We are going to be seeing them.
The duty paid values of all this amounts to N921 billion
“Our seizures today revealed that importers are diversifying their contraband portfolios combining pharmaceuticals, food items and control technology in systematic shipments.
This suggests the emergence of organized networks with sophisticated capabilities rather than isolated smuggling attempts that we used to have. We also have the pattern of strategic country of origin selection”, he said
