The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Saturday revealed that about 11,000 shops have been sealed and 40 people arrested in its ongoing nationwide clampdown on substandard and counterfeit medicines.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos on Saturday.
Earlier this month, NAFDAC commenced enforcement operations at Idumota open drugs market in Lagos, Ariaria drug market in Aba, and Bridge market in Onitsha.
According to NAFDAC, the enforcement operations at these three markets— which serve as distribution hubs for over 80 per cent of medications—aim to rid Nigeria of falsified and unregistered drugs.
Adeyeye also stated that over 20 trucks of substandard drugs were evacuated from different locations in Aba, while no fewer than 30 trucks of confiscated drugs were seized in Onitsha, and 27 trucks were removed from the Idumota market.
She said: “We are winding down our operations in Aba because we have almost completed the evacuation.
“Our next phase is to start going shop by shop to identify those who are registered and those who are not.
“We have closed over 4,000 shops in Onitsha, 3,027 shops in Lagos, and 4,000 shops in Aba since we commenced these operations.
“In Onitsha, we have completed 20 per cent of the work. We need to conduct a holistic operation because some traders are genuine but are not registered under the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria.”
“Three years ago, some of our officers were nearly killed while attempting to carry out a similar major operation in Onitsha.
“This time, our enforcement teams in these three locations were able to carry out their duties without fear.
“The National Security Adviser provided us with 400 officers in Onitsha, 350 in Aba, and over 250 officers in Lagos to ensure the safety of our personnel.”
Adeyeye reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to combating the perpetrators of counterfeit and falsified drugs in the country.
Earlier, NAFDAC uncovered prohibited drugs at the Onitsha Bridgehead Drug Market in Anambra State.