Toba Owojaiye reporting
Lagos, Nigeria
In a sweeping crackdown on counterfeit pharmaceuticals, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed over 3,000 drug shops in Lagos and confiscated 24 truckloads of fake and substandard drugs in Anambra and Abia states. The renewed enforcement effort underscores the agency’s commitment to ridding Nigeria of illicit medicines that endanger public health.
Truth Live News gathered that the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, led the charge, vowing that perpetrators will face the full wrath of the law. “Enough is enough,” she declared, following the discovery of two massive warehouses stocked with fake and expired medicines in Aba, Idumota, and Onitsha.
In Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa, Abia State, NAFDAC operatives, in collaboration with security forces, raided an illegal drug depot operating near the Ariaria International Market. The facility housed expired potassium chloride, allergy medications, immune boosters, and cholesterol treatments, all of which were being rebranded and resold.
During the raid, authorities discovered machines used to alter expiration dates and repackage counterfeit medicines. While several individuals were arrested, the prime suspect remains at large. Shockingly, he has shown no concern for detained family members believed to be complicit in the operation.
Days later, another depot at 269 Faulks Road, Aba was uncovered, revealing large quantities of fraudulent packaging materials and rebagged containers. According to NAFDAC, extensive intelligence gathering led to the discovery, highlighting the scale of counterfeiting in the region.
At the Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, NAFDAC operatives seized 14 truckloads of fake, expired, and falsified drugs. The market, notorious for drug repackaging, was found to be a major hub for illicit pharmaceutical trade.
According to Mr. Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Southeast Director, counterfeit drugs found at the site carried fake NAFDAC approval numbers. “We detected these fraudulent claims using our scanning and detection machines,” he said, adding that some of the seized products were already banned, substandard, or expired.
In Lagos, NAFDAC sealed over 3,000 shops inside the Open Drug Market in Idumota, where enforcement officers discovered vaccines stored in dilapidated, unventilated rooms covered with iron sheets. The raid also uncovered:
Large consignments of banned Analgin Injections
Diverted Free HIV and Retroviral Drugs
Expired drugs kept for revalidation
Unregistered pharmaceuticals
Codeine Cough Syrup and Tramadol 225 hidden away from pharmacy sections
Twelve truckloads of illicit pharmaceuticals were evacuated from the market as part of the agency’s ongoing effort to sanitize the drug trade.
Speaking on the operation, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s determination to dismantle the counterfeit drug network.
“We shall not look away while a few disgruntled elements in society continue to kill unsuspecting consumers through substandard and falsified medicines,” she stated. “The goal is to stop the sale of counterfeit, expired, and rebranded drugs that pose significant health risks to Nigerians.”
The war on fake drugs in Nigeria has been long and complex, with counterfeit pharmaceuticals estimated to make up a significant portion of drugs in circulation. The latest enforcement actions mark a significant step forward, but experts caution that sustained surveillance and stricter penalties will be crucial in dismantling these criminal networks.
For now, with NAFDAC tightening its grip, drug traffickers across the country are