The Nigeria Customs Service, on Thursday, destroyed 96 containers of various illicit and expired drugs worth N12.8bn in Lagos State.
Addressing journalists in the Epe area of the state during the destruction of the contrabands, the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Adonye Dappa-Williams, said the goods were brought for destruction after court condemnation.
Dappa-Williams said destroying the illicit products would discourage the importation and consumption of the products, adding that the importers of these products would soon be made to face the full wrath of the law.
On why the volume was much, he said, “It has to do with the guideline that the importation of pharmaceutical products is restricted to very few ports. And that is why the strength of the pharmaceuticals coming here is high; it is purely restricted and it can’t come through any other port. That is why all our destruction has taken place here.”
A total of 16 brands of illicit and expired drugs brought for destruction included tramadol tablets, codeine cough syrup, diclofenac tablets and injections, pramo sex, yagra tablets, black cobra tablets, sildenafil citrate tablets and chaka pain extra tablets, mebendazole tablets, royal chest lung tablets, Dr. ibramol tablets, omeprazole capsules, and cotrimoxazole tablets, diavita loperamide capsules, diarrhoea stop, and chlorpheniramine malfate capsules.
Speaking further, Dappa-Williams said, “We also have other products that failed to meet the statutory import guidelines for destruction. The aforementioned items have all been condemned by courts of competent jurisdiction with a duty paid value of N12.9bn”
He reiterated that the harmful effects of these illicit items on our society cannot be overemphasized as it had destroyed countless lives of youths, and families and led to an upsurge in crime in society.
“Let me also use this opportunity to thank our sister agencies for their continuous collaboration and synergy in achieving this giant stride,” he added.
Also speaking, a representative of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, Jamila Ashiru, said the seizure was done in collaboration with other agencies.
“That is why the Customs and other agencies are in the port to ensure that it didn’t go into the system because if it had gone into the system, the volume is huge.
“Some of these products are unregistered, some are banned, and all that. We also have a legal department for the people arrested. So the legal department is processing it, so hopefully, very soon there will be prosecution and we will all hear about that.” she said.
