Health
NAFDAC Arrests 12 Fake Drug Dealers, Seizes 10 Truckloads of Counterfeit Medicines in Onitsha
- NAFDAC arrests 12 fake drug dealers at Onitsha’s Ogbo Ogwu market during a midnight raid.
- Over 10 truckloads of counterfeit, expired, and unregistered drugs seized in ongoing mop-up operation.
- Officials reject ₦135 million bribe as agency pushes for stricter penalties against fake drug dealers.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested 12 fake drug dealers at Onitsha Bridgehead drug market (Ogbo Ogwu) during an ongoing mop-up exercise aimed at eliminating counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that NAFDAC’s South-East Zonal Director, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, disclosed that the dealers were apprehended in the early hours of the night while allegedly attempting to remove unwholesome drugs from their shops.
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The mop-up exercise, which began on Monday, has so far uncovered and seized over 10 truckloads of fake, expired, and falsified drugs from the market.
According to Iluyomade, the market served as a hub for repackaging expired medicines with false claims, later sold to unsuspecting consumers. Some traders reportedly had machines to alter expiry dates and rebrand counterfeit drugs. He expressed deep concern for Nigerians relying on these drugs, warning that such products cause severe health risks, including death or permanent disability.
NAFDAC’s enforcement team, working with security agencies and market leaders, has been offered bribes totaling ₦135 million to halt the operation, but officials refused the inducement and remain committed to sanitizing the market. The Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), has granted NAFDAC full backing to crack down on counterfeit drugs nationwide.
Iluyomade further revealed that over 90% of shops investigated were dealing in fake and substandard drugs, adding that only a few traders received a clean bill of health.
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He emphasized that the agency is reviewing its laws to introduce stricter penalties, possibly including life imprisonment or the death penalty, for those engaged in the production and distribution of dangerous pharmaceutical products.
NAFDAC
One trader, Chukwudi Ikem, who was cleared, admitted that he had previously dealt in fake drugs but decided to change, urging his colleagues to stop selling counterfeit medicines. He also appealed to NAFDAC to reconsider the seizure of unregistered but effective drugs.
NAFDAC has requested an extension of the three-week timeframe for the mop-up exercise, citing the sheer volume of counterfeit drugs yet to be confiscated.
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