The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed over 11,000 shops and arrested 40 individuals in its ongoing nationwide crackdown on fake and substandard medicines.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, revealed this in Lagos on Saturday, stating that the operation had been planned covertly for over a year.
On 10 February, NAFDAC launched enforcement actions at major drug markets, including Idumota in Lagos, Ariaria in Aba, and the Bridge Market in Onitsha. These markets supply over 80% of medicines nationwide and were targeted to eliminate falsified and unregistered drugs.
Adeyeye disclosed that over 20 trucks of substandard drugs were removed in Aba, at least 30 in Onitsha, and 27 in Idumota. The next phase involves inspecting individual shops to identify those operating legally.
So far, 4,000 shops have been closed in Onitsha, 3,027 in Lagos, and another 4,000 in Aba. In Onitsha, only 20% of the work has been completed, with further inspections needed to ensure traders comply with Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) regulations.
The Director-General praised the National Security Agency (NSA) for deploying officers to ensure the safety of enforcement teams, recalling that a previous attempt in Onitsha nearly cost NAFDAC officers their lives.
NAFDAC remains committed to eliminating counterfeit and falsified medicines across Nigeria.