The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 11 containers laden with unregistered sex-enhancement drugs, expired food items, and controlled devices valued at N921bn at the Apapa Ports in Lagos.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made this known on Wednesday during a press briefing at the command.
He said the seizures, made between January and April 2025, included five 40-foot containers, two 20-foot containers, and four other shipments of contraband goods.
Adeniyi disclosed that five of the containers were filled with unregistered sexual performance drugs, which he described as a “clear danger to public health” with the potential to cause high mortality if circulated within domestic markets.
“The first 40ft container had 89 cartons of unregistered pharmaceutical products, while the second contained 242 cartons,” he said.
“The third container had 1,001 cartons of hydra-sildenafil citrate tablets, also lacking NAFDAC approval. One of the containers, falsely declared as cosmetics, held 805 packages of unregistered drugs.”
He added that two other 20-foot containers were found with expired margarine and 60 units of warrior drones.
A further seizure included 53 helicopter drones and 10 FM transceiver walkie-talkies, all lacking the required End User Certificate from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The Customs boss raised concern about a rising trend in the smuggling of unregulated sex drugs, stating that these drugs, often taken without medical supervision, pose severe risks such as cardiovascular complications and harmful interactions with other medications.
Adeniyi categorised the seizures into three: unregistered pharmaceuticals, expired food items, and controlled equipment.
He said unregistered drugs constituted 63.7 per cent of the seized goods, in violation of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Act.
He also noted an alarming pattern of deliberate misclassification of goods by importers. “Some of the pharmaceuticals were concealed with skin creams to avoid detection,” he said.
“This suggests the rise of organised smuggling networks rather than isolated incidents.”
Adeniyi assured that the service is collaborating with NAFDAC, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the National Security Adviser’s office to tackle the growing threat of such illegal imports.
Corroborating Adeniyi’s remarks, Director of Ports Inspection at NAFDAC, Dr Olakunle Olaniran, revealed that some of the seized products carried fake NAFDAC registration numbers.
One drug, he said, was meant for coal treatment but fraudulently rebranded as a pharmaceutical product.
Another intercepted item was wrongly presented as a mental health drug despite lacking legitimate pharmaceutical identifiers, Olaniran added.
Adeniyi stressed that the customs service would continue its crackdown on importers violating the country’s drug, food, and equipment regulations to safeguard national health and security.
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