In an unprecedented feat, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed N95 billion worth of unregistered pharmaceuticals, including tramadol 200mg and higher strength in neighbouring Benin Republic, being shipped to Nigeria.
The consignments, destroyed on December 21 and 22, 2022, the agency said, were contained in 5 X 40 feet containers, tracked in the Republic of Benin following intelligence report from the Presidency in 2018.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who addressed the media Monday in Abuja, said the successful tracking and destruction of the products in the Republic of Benin was as a result of the support of the latter.
Adeyeye said in August 2018 she alerted the Director of Ports Inspection Directorate, Prof. Samson B. Adebayo of the intention of some importers to ship 31 containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products, including tramadol 200mg and above from India.
She explained that the return of NAFDAC to Nigerian ports made the four and a half years monitoring of unregistered pharmaceuticals, including tramadol possible.
She hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for returning NAFDAC to the ports in May 2018 after a seven-year absence, just as she commended the Nigerian Customs’ Comptroller General, Col. Ahmed (rtd).
She said Ahmed’s leadership fostered the collaboration and the success of NAFDAC’s regulatory activities.
Speaking on the operations, she said: “The containers were labelled ‘building materials’ and for bonded terminal.
“The Director, Ports Inspection Directorate, working with his Intelligence & Monitoring Unit, commenced the surveillance and monitoring of the reported containers from the ports of loading to the successive ports, where they were transloaded along the sea routes.
“The first approach was to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of Comptroller General, Col Ahmed Ali (rtd).
“Eventually, 21 of the containers were discharged at the Apapa port in Lagos, Nigeria as manifested.
“One container couldn’t be tracked because of a missing container number.
“Of the 21 containers, only two had building materials. However, as the importers of the containers became aware that NAFDAC was tracking and monitoring the containers on arrival at the Apapa port and intercepting them, they decided to change their strategy by diverting the remaining away from the Nigerian ports.
“Four containers never got to Nigeria, but were discharged at transhipment in Malaysia.
“One container was transferred to the Cotonou port in the Republic of Benin, while the remaining four were initially diverted to the Tema Port in Ghana, but later diverted them to Cotonou, having met resistance from Ghana Food and Drug Agency that NAFDAC already contacted for collaboration to stop the four containers.
“Director-General of NAFDAC Prof Mojisola Adeyeye then liaised with the Ambassador of Nigeria to the Republic of Benin at the time, His Excellency Kayode Oguntuase, who worked tirelessly to ensure that the port authority in the Republic of Benin effected the seizure of the five containers on the request of NAFDAC.
“He never relented in his effort at ensuring that all these five containers are released to NAFDAC for destruction.
“Meanwhile, some entity took the case to court in Benin that the containers should be brought back to Nigeria.
“This took about one year plus, but Ambassador Aluko stayed on the case until the court made the judgement that the containers can be destroyed in Benin.
“Alas, the government of the Republic of Benin eventually agreed to engage with the Nigerian counterparts to carry out the destruction of these containers in Cotonou.
“The street value of the drugs was estimated at N95 billion.”
