100 Truckloads Of Fake Drugs Evacuated From Anambra, Abia, Lagos Markets — NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has evacuated over 100 truckloads of substandard, falsified, and banned medicines and narcotics from Onitsha Market in Anambra, Aba Market in Abia State, and Idumota Market in Lagos.

The agency’s resident consultant, Sayo Akintola, said on Sunday the evacuation took place over a period of six weeks.

The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said if the products made their way to consumers, they could ruin the nation by reducing the quality of life of millions of Nigerians.

According to Akintola, Adeyeye made the remarks in Lagos on Friday at a briefing while giving an update on the enforcement carried out in the three markers where unregistered, banned, and expired medicines with other violations worth over a trillion naira were confiscated.

She added that the agency concluded the enforcement in Idumota and Aba on February 28, 2025, while the exercise ended in Onitsha on March 8.

She said, “What we have found could ruin a nation. What we have found could destabilise a government. What we have found could reduce the quality of life of millions of Nigerians. If you have diabetes or hypertension, which need daily treatment, such people could die easily with what we have found.”

Adeyeye further stated that with a large population of Nigerian youths below 40, the narcotics seized could take their lives, and fuel banditry, and terrorism.

“Overall, over 100 40-footer truckloads were evacuated, with 27 truckloads from Idumota already destroyed, while in Aba and Onitsha markets, about 80 40-foot truckloads of unregistered, banned medicines and narcotics were seized and evacuated.

“For Aba and environ, she disclosed that 14 truckloads of violative medicines were evacuated from the Osisioma warehouse alone, four truckloads from the Ariara Road warehouse and ten truckloads of the medicines were seized from the markets.”

Adeyeye also explained that Onitsha Market has 110 lines where they sell drugs, aside from the plumbing materials market, and the wood plank markets.

She added that at the plumbing materials section, the warehouses were filled to the brim, without windows and with temperatures more than 40 degrees Celsius, subjecting the medicines to degradation before the user starts to use them.

She also recalled an incident in the plumbing section years ago, where policemen who went on an operation with her narrowly escaped death.

The NAFDAC boss explained that the ‘merchants of death’ masquerading as medicine dealers among the shop owners mobbed the police and NAFDAC staff members to protect their illicit trade.

She added that about seven months ago at the Onitsha market, NAFDAC staff members went for an operation and were almost killed.

“They bloodied them. This is the hazard that we go through every time in NAFDAC,” she said.

Speaking further, Mojisola revealed that the agency evacuated ten 40-foot truckloads of tramadol from the plumbing, wood plank and fashion lines of the market.

She noted that about four truckloads of syrup with codeine that was banned almost seven years ago were also evacuated.

However, reaffirming NAFDAC’S mandate, she reiterated that the agency will continue to conduct enforcement in the markets to save the lives of Nigerians and to foster trade.

Mojisola said, “NAFDAC is doing this first for public health, secondly to foster trade, and thirdly to reduce the scourge on our country.”

100 Truckloads Of Fake Drugs Evacuated From Anambra, Abia, Lagos Markets — NAFDAC is first published on The Whistler Newspaper