The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns about the large-scale production and sale of fake and expired drugs in the popular Head-Bridge Drug Market, Onitsha, Anambra State.
NAFDAC’s South-East Zonal Director, Martins Iluyomade, led a team of officials and security operatives in a raid on the market around 4 AM on Monday.
With the support of the military and police, the team searched several shops and warehouses, uncovering cartons filled with fake, substandard, and expired drugs.
They also found empty drug containers and packets with names, addresses, and NAFDAC numbers printed on them, making them appear genuine.
Additionally, some traders were caught preparing fake drugs to be packed into these containers, using the details of registered pharmaceutical companies.
Speaking to reporters, Iluyomade expressed concern that many of the fake drugs found were essential medicines people rely on.
Some of these drugs are imported and expensive due to the high exchange rate of the dollar. Unfortunately, the contents inside the packaging are fake, putting public health at serious risk.
“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 is fake, some are substandard and expired” he lamented.
Iluyomade explained that similar raids were happening in other major drug markets across the Southeast. He added that this operation was carefully planned over several months to ensure success.
In the past, NAFDAC worked with market leaders during such raids, but this time, the agency acted independently to protect them from threats and blackmail from their fellow traders.
NAFDAC continues to fight against fake and expired drugs to protect Nigerians. The agency urges people to be cautious when buying medicine and to only purchase from licensed pharmacies and trusted sources.
On how long the exercise will last, Iluyomade said;
“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 shines the whole of your body.”
The public is encouraged to report any suspicious drug sales to NAFDAC to help in the fight against counterfeit medicine.
