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NAFDAC Cracks Down on Fake and Expired Drugs in Onitsha Market
The South-East Zonal Director of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Martins Iluyomade, has sounded the alarm over the large-scale production and sale of counterfeit and expired drugs at the popular Ogbo Ogu Market, also known as Head-Bridge Drug Market, in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Iluyomade led a team of NAFDAC officials on a surprise raid at the market in the early hours of Monday, around 4 AM, accompanied by heavily armed security operatives from the military and the Nigeria Police Force.
During the operation, the team broke into various drug shops and warehouses, uncovering a massive stockpile of fake, substandard, and expired drugs hidden in cartons. In addition, they discovered empty drug containers and packets with printed names, addresses of local and foreign manufacturers, and NAFDAC registration numbers.
Shockingly, the officials also found counterfeit drugs allegedly produced by traders who intended to package them in these labeled containers, some of which were linked to manufacturers already registered with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN).
Speaking to journalists, Iluyomade expressed concern over the dangers posed by these fake drugs, many of which are essential medicines. He noted that some of the counterfeit products were imitations of expensive foreign-manufactured drugs, exacerbated by the rising exchange rate of the dollar to the naira.
“You can’t guarantee what is inside these containers and packets. This is why people are dying—because the medicines they are buying are fake, substandard, and expired,” he lamented.
Iluyomade revealed that the crackdown was part of a coordinated effort across major drug markets in the Southeast. He explained that while previous raids involved market leadership, this operation was conducted discreetly to prevent blackmail and retaliation against cooperative traders.
Regarding the duration of the exercise, he stated, “The scope of this operation is enormous. I can’t say how long it will take, but even if it takes a year, we will continue until this market is sanitized to protect Nigerians. NAFDAC has always warned, ‘Shine your eyes when buying medicines,’ but now, we say—shine your whole body.”
He assured that all those involved in the illegal drug trade would face legal consequences.4o
