- The scale of the discovery is so massive that NAFDAC may require several days or even weeks to complete the mop-up exercise at the market
In a major crackdown on counterfeit medications, Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intercepted a large consignment of fake drugs at the Onitsha Bridgehead drug market in Anambra State.
The agency’s South-East Zonal Director, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, revealed that the seized items include two trailer loads of unregistered narcotics, banned tramadol, and counterfeit drugs concealed inside plumbing materials shops within the market.
According to Dr. Iluyomade, NAFDAC operatives extended their search to nearby plumbing materials shops based on intelligence gathering, where they discovered cartons of tramadol and other prohibited drugs neatly hidden inside the shops and covered with plumbing materials.
This is not the first time NAFDAC has encountered resistance at the market. A few years ago, agency officials were attacked and injured while attempting to intercept fake drugs concealed at the same plumbing materials market.
Dr. Iluyomade lamented that the quantity of prohibited drugs found in the plumbing materials shops exceeded those discovered in the drug market itself. Within two days of searching the plumbing shops, two trailers had been filled with seized drugs, with more still being loaded.
The scale of the discovery is so massive that NAFDAC may require several days or even weeks to complete the mop-up exercise at the market, which supplies approximately 80% of the drugs circulating within Nigeria and parts of Africa.
The NAFDAC enforcement team has so far uncovered several adulterated, banned, substandard, and expired drugs worth billions of naira from various shops. The market serves as a hub for repackaging and revalidating expired medicines under false claims, which are then sold to unsuspecting consumers.
Dr. Iluyomade expressed concern for Nigerians who purchase fake drugs, saying, “I weep for Nigerians who are sick and purchase drugs to treat themselves, only to find their conditions unchanged or even worsened.”
As of today, NAFDAC has moved no fewer than 10 fully loaded 40-foot trucks of fake, substandard, and adulterated drugs out of the market. Some of these drugs even have fraudulent NAFDAC approval claims.
The operation is being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser as part of the Federal Government’s ongoing crackdown on counterfeit drug circulation. NAFDAC has vowed to continue its crackdown on counterfeit and substandard medicines, emphasizing the grave health risks posed by these illicit products.
In comparison, Dr. Iluyomade noted that in China, possession of fake or counterfeit drugs carries the death penalty, whereas in Nigeria, it is punishable by only a few years in prison with an option of a fine.
The enforcement operation remains ongoing as officials work to dismantle illegal drug networks and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
POPULAR TODAY
Discussion about this post