... Regulator warns of catastrophic consequences if illicit medicines remain in circulation
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized and destroyed over 100 truckloads of substandard, falsified, and banned medicines—including narcotics—from major markets in Lagos, Anambra, and Abia states, in what it described as an unprecedented crackdown.
The agency revealed on Sunday that its six-week enforcement operation targeted Idumota Market in Lagos, Onitsha Market in Anambra, and Aba Market in Abia, where it confiscated unregistered, expired, and dangerous pharmaceuticals valued at over a trillion naira.
NAFDAC’s Director General, Professor Moji Adeyeye, warned that allowing such drugs to circulate could be devastating for Nigeria, threatening public health, national security, and economic stability.
“What we have found could ruin a nation. What we have found could destabilise a government. What we have found could reduce the quality of life of millions of Nigerians,” she said. “People suffering from conditions like diabetes and hypertension—who need daily medication—could lose their lives to these fake and degraded drugs.”
A Dangerous Trade in the Shadows
According to Adeyeye, the illicit trade in fake medicines is fuelling the country’s security crisis, with narcotics flooding the streets and endangering young Nigerians. She revealed that in Onitsha alone, drug warehouses were discovered in hidden sections of the market, where medicines were stored in extreme heat, well above 40 degrees Celsius—conditions that cause rapid degradation.
“We evacuated 27 truckloads from Idumota alone, while in Aba and Onitsha, about 80 truckloads were seized,” she stated. “From the Osisioma warehouse in Aba, we recovered 14 truckloads of illegal medicines, while another 10 truckloads were seized from the market.”
The Onitsha market, she explained, had a staggering 110 lines dedicated to drug sales, with additional storage hubs concealed within the plumbing and wood plank sections. “Through intelligence gathered years ago, we knew illicit activities were taking place there. When we finally moved in with law enforcement, our officers narrowly escaped with their lives.”
Mob Attacks and Resistance
The crackdown was not without risk. NAFDAC personnel and police officers came under attack from violent traders determined to protect their illicit trade.
“Seven months ago, when we went in on an intelligence operation, they almost killed two of our staff,” Adeyeye said. “They were beaten until they bled. This is the kind of hazard we face regularly at NAFDAC.”
Among the confiscated drugs were 10 truckloads of tramadol—an opioid widely abused in Nigeria—as well as four truckloads of codeine syrup, which was banned nearly seven years ago due to its role in the country’s spiralling addiction crisis.
Despite the challenges, Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to eradicating the trade in substandard medicines, stressing that the crackdown was not only about public health but also about strengthening Nigeria’s trade and regulatory systems.
“NAFDAC is doing this first for public health, secondly to foster trade, and thirdly to reduce the scourge on our country,” she said.
With enforcement operations ongoing, the agency has vowed to intensify efforts to dismantle the networks behind Nigeria’s thriving counterfeit drug market. But with organised resistance from traders and vested interests, the battle to safeguard the nation’s health is far from over.