The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, has handed over more than 580,000 unregistered pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) after intercepting the shipment in Kano.
The seized products were recovered on June 9, 2026, at the SAHCO Shed of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during an intelligence-led operation carried out by officers of the Command.
Speaking during the handover at the Customs House in Bompai, Kano, the Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Usman Adamu, said the consignments underwent a joint inspection by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and NAFDAC.
The examination confirmed that the pharmaceutical products lacked the required registration and certification needed for legal importation and distribution in Nigeria.
According to Adamu, the seizure included 575,440 tablets of different medicaments, 5,415 injections, 1,075 bottles of eye drops, and 243 inhaler canisters.
He explained that the interception demonstrates the Customs Service’s commitment to protecting public health while strengthening cooperation with regulatory agencies in the fight against the importation of illegal and uncertified pharmaceutical products.
Adamu stated that the medicines were not approved for circulation in Nigeria, stressing that preventing such products from entering the market remains a key priority in safeguarding the health of Nigerians.
He also warned importers and distributors involved in the illegal importation of pharmaceutical products to stop the practice, adding that the Command would continue to intensify surveillance and enforcement operations against offenders.
Receiving the seized items on behalf of NAFDAC, the agency’s Assistant Director of the Ports Inspection Directorate in Kano, Azik Kanadi, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for the successful interception.
Kanadi described the operation as a major step toward preventing unsafe and potentially harmful medicines from reaching consumers. He cautioned importers against bringing unregistered drugs into the country, noting that medicines which have not undergone proper regulatory assessment pose serious health risks.
He reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to working closely with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies to eliminate the circulation of unsafe pharmaceutical products and ensure that only approved medicines are available in the Nigerian market.
