The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has carried out a large-scale enforcement operation across three major open drug markets in Nigeria, seizing 87 truckloads of banned, expired, and counterfeit medicines.
The simultaneous operation, which commenced on 9 February, targeted Ariaria and Eziukwu Markets in Aba, Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, and Idumota Drug Market in Lagos.
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Addressing State House correspondents on Wednesday, the Director General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, described the operation as the largest in the agency’s history, undertaken to curb the distribution of falsified medical products and safeguard public health.
Mrs Adeyeye, a professor, urged the National Assembly to expedite amendments to the NAFDAC Act and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act to include life sentences and the death penalty for offenders.
“With the signing into law of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), assets recovered from suspects will be treated as proceeds of crime after their conviction by the courts,” she added.
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About the operation
The NAFDAC boss noted that the operation forms part of the agency’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) for 2023-2027, aimed at strengthening regulatory enforcement and consumer confidence in pharmaceuticals.
She explained that planning for the highly confidential exercise began in 2024 in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Security forces comprising 1,100 personnel from the military, police, and Department of State Services (DSS) were deployed to the three locations, with the markets completely cordoned off before inspections commenced on 10 February.
Mrs Adeyeye noted that the exercise, originally planned for one week, had to be extended by two to three weeks in each location due to an underestimation of the scale of violations.
“The NSA duly informed the respective Governors to ensure a buy-in. However, the exercise had to be extended by an additional two to three weeks in each of these locations because it was underestimated during the planning phase,” she noted.
Massive drug seizures, arrests
According to NAFDAC, the agency screened over 7,000 shops, leading to the removal of falsified medicines and the arrest of more than 40 individuals.
Among the seized products were large quantities of pharmaceutical drugs, including vaccines and prescription-only medicines, stored under hazardous conditions.
Mrs Adeyeye said these products were discovered stacked in toilets, under staircases, and on rooftops at very high temperatures, without consideration for cold chain storage requirements.
The agency also found substantial quantities of controlled substances, including Tramadol, Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), Nitrazepam, and Diazepam, which have been linked to rising insecurity in the country.
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They also found TAFRADOL, a drug recently banned in India after an undercover BBC investigation exposed its illicit export to Africa. “This drug combination has not been licensed anywhere in the world and is outrightly banned for use in the European Union,” She said.
In addition, the operation uncovered expired antiretroviral drugs and condoms previously donated by international organisations such as USAID and UNFPA.
Several warehouses, including those in the plumbing and wood plank sections of the Head Bridge Market, were found stocked with banned and unregistered drugs under extreme temperatures exceeding 40°C, raising concerns about chemical degradation.
Relocation of drug markets
NAFDAC, in collaboration with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), has initiated plans to relocate affected drug markets to designated Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) by next year.
“The current premises occupied by medicine sellers are unregistered and unregistrable,” Mrs Adeyeye stated, adding that the locations fail to meet basic standards for drug storage, sales, and distribution.
She said the seized consignments of banned, expired, unregistered substandard and falsified medical products will be destroyed simultaneously publicly in each of these locations after the exercise.
As the enforcement operation continues in Onitsha’s Head Bridge Market, NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigerians from the dangers of counterfeit and substandard medicines.
