Officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have continued their special operations in Aba, Onitsha, and Lagos, uncovering more illicit product depots in the first week of the crackdown.
In Aba, a warehouse located at 269 Faulks Road was raided, where expired pharmaceutical products were discovered, allegedly being prepared for rebranding and reintroduction into the market.
Louis Madubuata, a NAFDAC deputy director who led the raid, stated that the agency was conducting nationwide operations targeting substandard and falsified medicines, with a focus on the three cities of Aba, Lagos, and Onitsha.
“What we’re seeing here is horrifying,” Madubuata said. “We’re having a stockpile of expired pharmaceuticals ranging from what we call neutraceuticals, vitamins, supplements, and core ethical pharmaceutical products. They’re all expired, being kept here.”
He explained that the operation was made possible through credible intelligence and collaboration with other security agencies. “We got here because of a collaborative operation between NAFDAC and other security agencies. Through credible intelligence, we got to know that these expired products are being relabelled and sent into the market,” he added.
The Abia State Government has reportedly provided strong support for the operation in Aba.
Also Read: NAFDAC evacuates 140 tons of 178 types of expired drugs
Earlier, NAFDAC had uncovered a twin two-story building in Umuocheala, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, filled with imported expired drugs and machines used for relabeling the products for resale.
Omoyeni Babatunji, a Deputy Director in charge of investigation, enforcement, and the federal task force for NAFDAC in the Southeast and South-South regions, confirmed that 13 trucks of expired products had been confiscated and transported to a warehouse in Anambra State.
“We have transported 13 ten-tonne trucks of the illicit products confiscated in Aba to our warehouse in Anambra State,” Babatunji stated.
He added that 178 samples of the confiscated drugs had been taken for laboratory investigation. “The findings will determine the agency’s next actions on the products,” he said.
Similar operations were carried out in Onitsha, Anambra State, where a wide range of illicit products, including expired, banned, substandard, defective, repackaged, and recalled items, were confiscated at the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Market in Bridge Head.
Martins Iluyomade, Director of NAFDAC’s South East Zone, led the team that seized adulterated, substandard, and expired drugs worth millions of naira.
“Among the drugs are expired, banned, substandard, defective, repackaged, and recalled products,” Iluyomade said. “We found out that some of the drug dealers are in the habit of imitating some popular drugs and pouring them into containers of the original manufacturer to deceive unsuspecting members of the public. These drugs are very sensitive and can lead to death or permanent disability of the consumer.”
This marks the second major raid on the Onitsha drug market. The first, conducted in 2007 under the leadership of the late Dora Akunyili, led to the total closure of the market. Akunyili had famously described the market as “a den of criminals,” vowing to rid the nation of fake drugs without fear or favor.
In Lagos, over 3,000 shops in the Idumota Open Drug Market were sealed during the first week of operations. NAFDAC officials discovered severe violations, including vaccines stored in dilapidated, unventilated rooms sealed with iron sheets, posing significant health risks.
Large consignments of banned and dangerous drugs, such as Analgin injections, diverted HIV antiretroviral drugs, and expired medicines slated for illegal revalidation, were also found.
The agency evacuated illicit pharmaceuticals equivalent to 12 truckloads, including empty packs and cartons of expired antimalarial injections. Additionally, ecstasy, codeine cough syrup, and Tramadol 225 were discovered in a warehouse within the market.
NAFDAC emphasized the need for stricter regulation to protect public health and curb the sale of unregistered and harmful pharmaceuticals.
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