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NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Fake, Expired Drugs In Anambra Market

Published

7 months ago

February 10, 2025

Editor

The South-East Zonal Director of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Martins Iluyomade has raised alarm over mind-boggling manufacture and sale of fake and expired drugs in popular “Ogbo Ogu Market, otherwise, known as, “Head-bridge Drug Market, Onitsha, Anambra state.

It was gathered that the Zonal Director stormed the drug market in the early hours of Monday around 4am accompanied by heavily-armed security operatives drawn from the military and the Nigeria Police Force.

At the market, the NAFDAC officials broke into different drug sales shops and warehouses where they brought out fake, substandard and expired drugs concealed in cartons.

Also, the team made shocking discovery of empty drug containers and packets, with names and addresses of local and foreign manufacturers, as well as NAFDAC numbers printed on them.

Also discovered were fake drugs allegedly manufactured by some of the traders waiting to be packaged in those containers and packets whose manufacturers already have the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) registration.

Briefing newsmen at the drug market, the NAFDAC South East boss, warned that the drug market posed grave danger to lives of unsuspecting patients.

He stated that the discovery showed that most faked drugs were “very sensitive medicine that the people need. Some of the drugs are foreign manufactured drugs, and, are very expensive because of the Dollars exchange to Naira”, he said.

Dr. Iluyomade bemoaned that the contents that would eventually be packaged in these containers and packets would be fake products.

“You can’t guarantee what would be put in these containers and packets. This is why people are dying because the medicine they are buying are fake, some are substandard and expired,” he lamented.

He stated that the raid was going on simultaneously in all major drug markets in the South-East zone, adding that it was a national assignment discreetly planned for several months to ensure its success.

Iluyomade stated that NAFDAC had in the past involved the market’s leadership in carrying out the raid, but, said that the agency deliberately decided to toe a different path in the current exercise in a bid to save the latter from blackmail and attacks as experienced in the past from their co-traders after such exercise.

The NAFDAC boss stressed that the current exercise might not end soon, noting that, “the enormity of the work is huge. I can’t say now how long it will take us to conclude, but, even if it will take us one year, we will continue because we want to sanitise this market of fake drugs to save the lives of Nigerians.

“NAFDAC has said it before, ‘Shine your eyes when you are buying medicines, but, now it is shine the whole of your body.”

He said that all culprits would be made to face the law.

When contacted, the chairman of the drug market, Mr. Chukwuleta Ndubuisi said he would not say anything about the exercise until he received the details of the raid.
(PUNCH)

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

13 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

News

JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

18 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

18 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.