The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced the destruction of tramadol and unregistered pharmaceuticals valued at N95 billion. During a press briefing on Monday, NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, revealed that this destruction occurred in December 2022, following four and a half years of monitoring in collaboration with the government of Benin Republic. The products, which included tramadol 200mg and higher strengths, as well as diclofenac tablets, were discovered in five containers that were ultimately destroyed in Cotonou.
Adeyeye explained that the initiative began in August 2018 when the Presidency provided an intelligence report regarding the intentions of unscrupulous importers to ship 31 containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products, including tramadol 200mg and above, from India. These containers were falsely labeled as building materials for a bonded terminal. The Director of the Ports Inspection Directorate, Prof. Samson Adebayo, was instructed to monitor these containers closely, working alongside the Intelligence & Monitoring Unit to track their journey from the ports of loading to subsequent transshipment points along the sea routes.
Initially, the strategy involved collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service. Ultimately, 21 of the containers were discharged at the Apapa port in Lagos, Nigeria, as per the manifest. However, one container could not be tracked due to a missing container number, and only two of the 21 containers contained building materials. As the importers became aware of NAFDAC’s monitoring efforts, they altered their strategy, diverting the remaining containers away from the Nigerian port. Four containers were not delivered to Nigeria but were instead discharged at a transshipment point in Malaysia.
According to Adeyeye, one container was transferred to the Cotonou port in the Republic of Benin, while the other four were initially diverted to the Tema Port in Ghana. However, they were later redirected to Cotonou after encountering resistance from the Ghana Food and Drug Agency, which NAFDAC had already contacted for collaboration to halt the shipment. Adeyeye noted that the agency worked closely with the former Ambassador of Nigeria to the Republic of Benin, Kayode Oguntuase, to ensure that the port authority in Benin seized the five containers. His successor, Olukayode Aluko, continued to advocate for the release of these containers to NAFDAC for destruction.
Meanwhile, for the remaining 24 containers, some parties took legal action in Benin, seeking to have the containers returned to Nigeria. This legal process lasted over a year, but Ambassador Aluko remained committed to the case until the court ruled that the containers could be destroyed in Benin. Ultimately, the government of the Republic of Benin agreed to collaborate with Nigerian authorities to facilitate the destruction of these containers in Cotonou.
On December 21 and 22, 2022, a team of NAFDAC officers, including those from the Investigation & Enforcement Directorate and led by Prof. Adebayo, traveled to Cotonou for the destruction exercise of the five containers. Adeyeye emphasized that this landmark achievement, unprecedented in the history of both countries and NAFDAC, was made possible through the unwavering efforts of the staff from the Ports Inspection Directorate in Apapa and Seme Border.
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