The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismissed the claim by the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, that the charges imposed on errant traders at the Onitsha Bridge Head drug market in Anambra State were aimed at sabotaging their businesses.
NAFDAC, in a statement signed by its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that investigations revealed that the warehouses, shops, and distribution outlets in the market failed to meet good storage and distribution practice standards.
It said that they were not registered with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), in clear violation of national laws.
It also said that the administrative charges were imposed on the offending operators as part of regulatory actions stipulated in Federal Government regulations.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC Shuts Over 11,000 Shops, Arrests 40 Suspects Over Fake Drugs
Obi had, in a post on X, expressed displeasure over the continued closure of the shops and the imposition of charges against the owners, describing it as economic sabotage.
According to him, compassion must lie at the root of government action.
“It is, therefore, deeply unfortunate to learn that shop owners are now being asked to pay ₦700,000 to reopen their stores.
“These shop owners have already endured prolonged closures, mounting unpaid bills, and economic strain. Adding further burdens to them and their families at this time is simply unjust and economic sabotage,” the former Anambra State governor said on Tuesday.
However, NAFDAC explained that the charges, which were initially ₦5 million as an investigative charge for the sale of unregistered products and ₦2,000,000 as an investigative charge for violations of good storage and distribution practices, were reduced to ₦200,000 and ₦500,000, respectively, following appeals.
It also stated that the penalties were officially gazetted charges and were applied fairly across the affected markets.
NAFDAC, in the statement, on Tuesday, said, “Between February 9 and March 27, 2025, NAFDAC conducted a nationwide enforcement operation targeting three major open drug markets: Idumota (Lagos), Aba (Abia), and Onitsha (Anambra).
“These operations resulted in the seizure and destruction of banned, expired, falsified, and substandard medicines and controlled substances valued at over ₦1 trillion.
“As part of regulatory actions, administrative charges were imposed on the offending operators as stipulated in federal government regulations. These included a ₦5,000,000 investigative charge for the sale of unregistered products, which was reduced to ₦200,000 following appeals, a ₦2,000,000 investigative charge for violations of good storage and distribution practices, reduced to ₦500,000 after further appeals.”
READ ALSO: NAFDAC Seizes, Destroys Counterfeit Drugs Worth ₦100bn In Ibadan
VeryDarkMan Alleges Extortion
On Monday, rights activist and social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as the VeryDarkMan, alleged that officials of NAFDAC were using their office to extort traders at Ogbo Ogwu market.
“So please, the DG of NAFDAC, stop your people,” Otse said on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the agency said that it was aware of misleading videos circulating on social media, in which a social media influencer attempted to incite traders against the Federal Government’s regulatory efforts.
It noted that such actions might amount to a breach of the Cybercrime Act.
Clapdown On Fake Drugs
NAFDAC had sealed over 11,000 shops and arrested 40 individuals in its ongoing nationwide clampdown on fake and substandard medicines in February.
Briefing in Lagos, NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that the enforcement had been planned for over a year as a covert operation.
The enforcement operations began at the Idumota open drug market, the Ariaria drug market in Aba, and the Bridge Market in Onitsha on February 10.
It noted that three markets, which distribute over 80 per cent of medications nationwide, were targeted to eliminate falsified and unregistered drugs.
Adeyeye revealed that over 20 trucks of substandard drugs were evacuated from various locations in Aba, at least 30 trucks were seized in Onitsha, and 27 trucks were removed from the Idumota market.
She also said that over 4,000 shops were closed in Onitsha, 3,027 in Lagos, and another 4,000 in Aba since the commencement of the operations.
“In Onitsha, we have completed only 20 per cent of the work. We need to carry out a thorough operation because some traders, although genuine, are not registered under the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN),” she said.
READ ALSO: ‘We’re Not Disrupting Trade,’ NAFDAC Defends Crackdown On Fake Drugs
Drug Market Reopened
On April 2, NAFDAC announced that the drug market had been reopened after a month-long closure for sanitisation and regulatory enforcement.
In a statement titled ‘NAFDAC Clarifies Reopening Of Onitsha Drug Market
Following regulatory enforcement, the agency said, “The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasises that the market has now been reopened, with all shop owners directed through their union to obtain and sign an undertaking, along with a penalty for past violations of distribution regulations.
“Only shops that meet these conditions will be allowed to resume operations.”
₦100bn Drugs Destroyed in Oyo
In March, the agency destroyed expired and counterfeit drugs worth ₦100bn at the Moniya dump site in the Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The NAFDAC DG said the counterfeit drugs were confiscated from pharmaceutical drug marketers in Idumota market, Lagos.
Adeyeye, while addressing journalists, said, “The estimated street value of these products being destroyed stands at ₦100 billion. During the three-week exercise, several suspects were apprehended.
“Further investigation is being carried out; those found culpable will be sanctioned.”
