By Oluseye Ojo
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Area Command, has handed over fake pharmaceutical drugs with duty paid value of N1,740,020,000, intercepted at Bakatari, which is the boundary between Oyo and Ogun States, as well as the international borders of Nigeria on Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State.
The Customs Area Controller, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Dr. Ben Oramalugo, officially handed over the seized fake drugs to the Director, South West Zone and Coordinating Director of Zones, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs Roseline Ajayi, after a media briefing on Wednesday in Ibadan by Oramalugo on the performance of the command within the first quarter of 2024.
The fake drugs that were handed over to NAFDAC, were in five categories – augmentin tablets, ampoclox and amoxycillin capsules, as well as Diazepam tablet, and Tramadol.
In her response, the Director of NAFDAC in the South West Zone, Mrs. Ajayi, appreciated the NCS on behalf of the Director-General of the agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, for the synergy between the two organisation towards ensuring that the menace of fake drugs becomes a thing of the past in the country.
She added that the agency work independently and in collaboration with NCS and other agencies to further investigate the sources and importers of the fake drugs, which she said, carried fake NAFDAC registration numbers. She said the drugs would be subjected further to laboratory analysis and thereafter, they would be destroyed.
Oramalugo, who stated that the command raked in the cumulative sum of N18,169,659,402.67k as revenue for the first quarter of this year, stated that three among the five categories of the fake drugs were carefully concealed in a truck and were being transported to the Northern part of the country before the interception at Bakatari. The other two categories – Diazepam Tablet and Tramadol, were packed in one pack and 20 packs respectively.
He explained that the Augmentin Tablets (625mg) were packed in seven sacks with duty paid value(DPV) of N819million, while the Ampiclox Capules were also concealed inside 22 sacks with DPV of N440million. He added that the Amoxycillin Capsules (500mg) were also hid in 24 sacks with DPV of N480million
Oramalugo noted that the DPV of Diazepam Tablet was put at N20,000 while the DPV of the Tramadol was N1million.
According to him, if the fake drugs had found its way into the public, it would have wreaked monumental havoc to the health of Nigerians, especially those that would buy and use them innocently, without knowing that the drugs were counterfeits.
Oramalugo stated that within the period, the command also intercepted and seized uncustom items with DPV of N2,181,860,440, which is an increment over N2,098,515,640 when compared to the DPV of N88,344,800 recorded during the first quarter of 2023.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
PIX 001:
Dr. Ben Oramalugo, the Customs Area Controller, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Dr. Ben Oramalugo, and Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the Director, South West Zone and Coordinating Director of Zones, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), signing documents during handover of over N1.7billion fake pharmaceutical drugs by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Area Command,to NAFDAC in Ibadan, Oyo State on Wednesday.
PIX 002:
Dr. Ben Oramalugo, the Customs Area Controller, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Dr. Ben Oramalugo, handing over N1.7billion fake pharmaceutical drugs seizes by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Area Command, to Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the Director, South West Zone and Coordinating Director of Zones, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in Ibadan, Oyo State on Wednesday.