The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 11 containers carrying contraband goods—including unregistered sex enhancement drugs, expired food items, and drones—valued at ₦921 billion at Apapa Ports between January and April 2025.
Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, revealed this during a press briefing on Wednesday, April 30, noting that the seized containers included five 40-foot and two 20-foot containers, alongside four other shipments containing loosely concealed prohibited items.
According to Adeniyi, five of the containers were loaded with unregistered pharmaceutical products, including various sex enhancement drugs lacking National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) certification. These drugs, he warned, pose severe health risks and could lead to fatalities if circulated in the market.
One 40-foot container was found to contain over 1,000 cartons of sildenafil-based tablets, while another falsely declared as cosmetic powder held over 800 packages of unapproved products. Additionally, expired margarine and other unsafe food items were discovered in two 20-foot containers.
The Customs boss also disclosed the seizure of 60 military-grade warrior drones, 53 helicopter drones, and 10 high-frequency walkie-talkies—all lacking required End User Certificates from the Office of the National Security Adviser. The drones alone had a combined duty-paid value of over ₦18 billion.
Adeniyi categorized the seizures into three key areas:
-
Unregistered pharmaceuticals—comprising 73.7% of the haul, in violation of NAFDAC regulations.
-
Expired food products—posing direct risks to public health.
-
Controlled technologies—imported without proper security clearance.
He warned that importers are increasingly engaging in sophisticated smuggling tactics, disguising pharmaceuticals as cosmetics or general merchandise to evade detection. Two of the seized containers concealed unregistered drugs behind cartons of skin cream.
“This trend shows a shift from isolated smuggling attempts to organized criminal networks with diversified contraband portfolios,” Adeniyi said, adding that Customs is working closely with agencies such as NAFDAC, NDLEA, and the Office of the National Security Adviser under established joint frameworks.
NAFDAC’s Director of Ports Inspection, Dr. Olakunle Daniel Olaniran, confirmed the drugs posed serious health threats. He revealed that one seized product, intended for industrial coal treatment, was falsely labeled with a recycled NAFDAC registration number from a painkiller (Tramadol). Another product was misrepresented as a mental health medication but lacked any verified pharmaceutical identity.
