The federal government, through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced the destruction of 88 containers loaded with expired and fake pharmaceutical drugs worth several billions of naira.

The fake and expired drugs were imported into the country by those it described as dubious and criminally minded businessmen.

Assistant Comptroller General of Customs (ACG), Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi while flagging off the destruction exercise at the Alaro dump site in Epe, Lagos, explained that the exercise would be conducted across the country.

Bomodi disclosed that the next phase of destruction after Lagos would be conducted in Port Harcourt and Kano.

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The Committee for the Identification, Isolation, Evacuation and Destruction of Illegally Imported Pharmaceuticals, which was set up by the National Security Adviser (NSA), is headed by Bomodi.

“This exercise cuts across the Federation. We’re starting here in Lagos, specifically with about 88 containers. We’ll also be going to Port Harcourt, where we have over 20 containers, then Calabar and Kano. So, it cuts across the country”.

Bomodi, who put the value of the expired and fake pharmaceutical at several billions of naira revealed that the contraband destroyed was worth several billions of naira, saying they posed a serious challenge to the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

Also speaking, the representative of the National Security Adviser, Commodore Kingsley Ogbonna, stated that the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is committed to ensuring that fake and expired pharmaceuticals are eradicated from the nation’s system.