As part of an ongoing crackdown on the illegal drug trade across major markets in Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down over 11,000 shops in Aba, Onitsha, and Idumota.
Additionally, 40 individuals have been arrested for their involvement in the sale of unregistered and hazardous drugs.During a tour of the agency’s warehouse in Apapa, Lagos, NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, disclosed that authorities have seized and removed over 77 truckloads of illicit and counterfeit drugs.
Breaking down the figures, she stated that 27 truckloads were seized from Idumota, 30 from Onitsha, and 20 from Aba. She further revealed that 3,027 shops were closed in Idumota, 4,000 in Onitsha, where the operation is only 20% complete, and another 4,000 in Osisioma, Aba.
The seized drugs are worth trillions of naira, highlighting the scale of the operation. Adeyeye explained that the crackdown, which has been ongoing for over three weeks, was made possible through the collaboration of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN).
“We found vaccines that are not supposed to be stored outside the refrigerator. We found controlled substances and condoms that are supposed to have been destroyed since 2022. We found products donated by USAID. We found Antiretrovirals for free use,” Adeyeye said.
“We found tramadol, container loads of analgin that had been banned in Nigeria before my time. How did it get into the country or market? We have found machines that they are using to change the dates of drugs that are supposed to have expired in 2022 or 2023.
“They will extend the expiration to 2028, and people will keep taking them without recovering,” she warned. “We are not disturbing trade. We are protecting lives. We are trying to safeguard the future of our young people from becoming victims of harmful drugs,” she added.
“We are trying to make sure that patients survive from bad medicine. We are trying to make sure that if you have hypertension you will get your hypertension relieved because you are taking good medicine.”
She expressed deep concern over the shocking discoveries made by NAFDAC during the operation. “In addition to expired medications, the agency discovered drugs stored in unsanitary conditions, including toilets and poorly ventilated warehouses without windows,” Adeyeye said.
“We are seeing drugs stored in conditions that make them even more harmful. These include products requiring refrigeration, like vaccines, being kept at room temperature,” she explained.
Adeyeye admitted that NAFDAC is grappling with significant resource challenges, including inadequate staffing and limited funding. “Our employees are handling the workload of five people because we simply don’t have enough personnel,” she stated.
The seized drugs included Tramadol 225mg, a highly potent opioid known to cause severe neurological damage, and Tapfradol, a hazardous combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol, which has already been banned in India due to its dangerous effects.
Adeyeye revealed that a significant portion of the confiscated drugs had been illegally smuggled into the country and were not registered in NAFDAC’s official database.
Source : https://thestreetjournal.org/
