By Ovat Abeng
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has uncovered and seized over 10-truck 40-foot container fully loaded with fake, expired and falsified drugs at the Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State.
The agency uncovered the wide range of the fake drugs at the various shops in the market during an ongoing enforcement exercise at the market. The enforcement exercise which began on Monday had seen several shops at the popular market raided with several adulterated, substandard and expired drugs estimated to worth multi-billion naira found at the various shops.
According to the agency, the market, comprising several buildings and shops, served as a hub for repackaging and revalidating expired medicines, with spurious claims, which were later sold to unsuspecting consumers.
Speaking to journalists on the Day five of the exercise on Friday, the operatives of the agency, led by the Director, NAFDAC South East Zone, Dr Martins Iluyomade, said the seized the trucks were being moved to the agency’s control room for further checks and onward destruction.
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Iluyomade said, “Today is the day five of the enforcement exercise which we began on Monday. As of today, we have moved no fewer than 10-truck fully loaded 40-foot container of fake, substandard and adulterated drugs out of the market. Some of these drugs also have spurious NAFDAC approval claims.
“We were able to decode these claims because we came with our detecting machines and scanners. Seized drugs consisted of expired, banned, substandard, deflective, repackaged and recalled products.
“And these drugs are very sensitive that can lead to death or permanent disability of the consumer. The seizure of the products is to eliminate the risk of their reintroduction into the market and a proof of the agency’s resolve to safeguard the health of the people.
“We found out that some of the drug dealers have machines used to rebrand, repackaged and alter expiry dates and these items, including rebagged containers and packages were also discovered on-site. This exercise follows several efforts regarding data collation, intelligence gathering on fake and substandard drugs in the market and we got to the tail end and discovered that people are repackaging and rebagging fake and counterfeit drugs in the market.
He explained that the raid had led to the arrest of several individuals who attempted to scuttle the exercise, adding that various sums of money up to the tune of N135million which was offered by several individuals for the NAFDAC operatives as bribe to stop the operation was turned down.
According to him, the operation, conducted in collaboration with security agencies, market leaders and other critical stakeholders is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing crackdown on the circulation of counterfeit drugs in the country, which gave the agency the full power and backing to carry out the operation.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating the distribution of substandard and falsified drugs in Nigeria.
He also stated that the agency is currently reviewing its laws to impose stricter penalties such as death or life sentences on individuals and organisations involved in the production and distribution of dangerous pharmaceutical products.
“Over 90 per cent of shops so far investigated in the market are dealing on fake, substandard, repackaged and counterfeited drugs. If we reveal what we have so far seen in the market, it would be totally shut down.
“During the operation so far, we have loaded no fewer than 10-truck 40-foot fully loaded containers of fake drugs out of the market and more are still being loaded. These containers are being moved to our control rooms for further checks for onward destruction. If we reveal what we found in this market, people will shed tears.
“Let me also tell you that some of these traders have been coming to induce our staff with money up to the tune of N135million for us to stop this exercise or allow them to move away their fake products, but we have insisted on sanitizing the market because the exercise is aimed at raiding the markets of fake and substandard drugs.
“This exercise is being carried out with every transparency that it deserves and it is not intended to witch-hunt anybody. However, there were few shops that have been given a clean bill of health, we did not find any fake or counterfeit drugs at their shops, but they are just less than 10 per cent. And those given clean bill of health have been notified and they are our ambassadors,” Iluyomade added.
Also speaking to journalists, one of the drug dealers given a clean bill of health, Chukwudi Ikem, said, “Before now, I thought this operation was to witch-hunt some people. But I have found out that it is with good intention.
“If NAFDAC had come one or two years ago, I might not have escaped the hammer this is because then I was dealing on fake drugs, but my conscience was troubling me until I decided to change and today, I am happy that my shop was given a clean bill of health.”
