Expired tomatoes, cookies, medicines and chemicals valued at N2.6bn have been destroyed in Rivers State after the Nigeria Customs Service seized the products at Onne Port.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) carried out the destruction in Port Harcourt on Friday. The exercise covered goods intercepted between 2025 and 2026, but more containers are still awaiting disposal.
The products included items seized by Customs and others voluntarily surrendered by organisations, according to NAFDAC’s South-South zonal director, Oligbu Chukwuma, represented by his deputy, Mrs Rita Chukwuma.
Seized products include voluntarily surrendered goods
The destruction involved different categories of products, including expired food items, medicines and chemicals. NAFDAC said the exercise was intended to remove fake and substandard goods from circulation and protect the public from their harmful effects.
Dr Martins Iluyomade, chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods in Nigeria, said the disposal was the first phase of the operation.
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He disclosed that additional containers were still coming out of Onne Port and called on Customs to ensure they were made available for destruction without delay.
The agency did not disclose how many containers were still awaiting disposal or how much the remaining products were worth.
NAFDAC calls for public cooperation
Iluyomade credited cooperation between NAFDAC and Customs with making the exercise possible. He said preparations began in 2025 and that personnel from both agencies had worked through challenges to complete the process.
He also thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs for personally supporting the handover of a container for destruction.
Representing the Customs Enforcement Unit at the Area II Command, Superintendent Elizabeth Abosede commended NAFDAC and raised concerns about the health dangers associated with counterfeit medicines.
Iluyomade said protecting public health required cooperation among government agencies. He warned that the fight against fake drugs and other illegal activities was too large for one agency to handle alone.
He also appealed to Nigerians to report suspected fake products through NAFDAC’s designated channels so the agency could take action.
WHAT READERS SHOULD KNOW
The destruction value: NAFDAC destroyed seized products worth N2.6bn in Port Harcourt.
The seizure period: Customs intercepted the goods at Onne Port between 2025 and 2026.
The next phase: More containers are awaiting destruction, but NAFDAC has not announced a date or value for the next batch.
Public reporting: Nigerians can report suspected counterfeit or substandard products through NAFDAC’s designated channels.
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