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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, has intercepted more than 580,000 unregistered pharmaceutical products at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and handed them over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further regulatory action.
The Acting Customs Area Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Usman Adamu, disclosed this during the handover ceremony held on Friday at the Customs House, Bompai, Kano.
Adamu said the consignments were intercepted on June 9, 2026, at the SAHCO Shed of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport following intelligence-driven operations by officers of the Command.
According to him, the seized pharmaceutical products were subsequently subjected to a joint examination by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and NAFDAC, which confirmed that the items lacked the mandatory registration and certification required for importation and distribution in Nigeria.
He said the seizure comprised 575,440 tablets of various medicaments, 5,415 injections, 1,075 bottles of eye drops and 243 inhaler canisters.
Adamu described the interception as a demonstration of the Service’s commitment to protecting public health and strengthening inter-agency collaboration in combating the importation of illicit and uncertified pharmaceutical products into the country.
“The products were found to be unregistered and therefore not approved for circulation in Nigeria. Their interception is part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of Nigerians,” he said.
The Acting Customs Area Controller warned importers and distributors involved in the illegal importation of pharmaceutical products to desist from such activities, stressing that the Command would continue to intensify surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement operations to curb the influx of prohibited and unregistered medicines.
Receiving the seized items on behalf of NAFDAC, Assistant Director, Ports Inspection Directorate, Kano, Azik Kanadi, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for the successful interception, describing it as a major contribution to efforts aimed at protecting Nigerians from potentially harmful and substandard medicines.
Kanadi cautioned importers against bringing unregistered pharmaceutical products into the country, noting that medicines that have not undergone regulatory evaluation pose significant health risks to consumers.
He reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to sustaining close collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies to prevent the circulation of unsafe medicines and ensure that only registered and approved pharmaceutical products are available in the Nigerian market.
The interception underscores ongoing efforts by Customs and NAFDAC to strengthen border controls and regulatory enforcement against the importation of illicit pharmaceutical products capable of endangering public health.
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