By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
AUTHORITIES AT the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) intensified their crackdown last week, uncovering illegal drug depots in Aba, Idumota, and Onitsha.
Investigators raided warehouses filled with counterfeit medicines, exposing a vast network of repackaging and revalidation schemes that endanger public health.
During a major operation at Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa in Abia State, enforcement officers discovered a facility repackaging expired medications for resale.
The illegal depot, operating near Ariaria International Market, had machines used to alter expiry dates.
Confiscated drugs included expired potassium chloride, allergy medications, immune boosters, and cholesterol treatments.
Authorities seized the stock and detained several suspects, though the ringleader remains at large.
Further investigations led to another bust at 269 Faulks Road, Aba, where enforcement officers discovered machines used to manipulate expiry dates alongside fraudulent packaging materials.
Intelligence reports indicated large-scale repackaging of counterfeit drugs, prompting swift intervention.
In Onitsha, Anambra State, NAFDAC operatives intercepted 14 truckloads of counterfeit and expired medicines at the Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market.
The operation, launched on February 10, 2025, uncovered a disturbing volume of substandard and adulterated pharmaceuticals worth billions of naira.
Officials confirmed that fraudulent NAFDAC approval claims were attached to some seized items.
Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Southeast Zonal Director, revealed that scanning technology helped detect fake authorisation labels on confiscated products.
He stated, “We have impounded 14 truckloads of falsified medicines, including expired, banned, defective, and repackaged drugs. Some of these even had counterfeit NAFDAC approval stamps.”
In Lagos, NAFDAC operatives extended their enforcement actions to Idumota’s Open Drug Market, sealing over 3,000 shops linked to counterfeit drug distribution.
The agency seized vaccines stored in unsafe conditions, banned Analgin injections, expired HIV retroviral drugs, and unregistered medications.
An estimated 12 trucks of illicit pharmaceuticals were removed from circulation.
Further discoveries included empty cartons of expired malaria injection packs with missing vials, as well as large consignments of Codeine cough syrup and Tramadol 225.
Authorities located these items in concealed warehouses, separate from the market’s main pharmaceutical section.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to eliminating fake drug syndicates.
“Enough is enough. We will not allow criminal elements to continue endangering lives with substandard medicines,” she declared.
She added that enforcement efforts targeted three major drug hubs in Idumota, Onitsha, and Aba, which supply a significant percentage of pharmaceuticals across the country.
“Our mission is to eradicate counterfeit, substandard, expired, and rebranded drugs from the market and safeguard public health,” she stated.
NAFDAC notes that investigations remain ongoing, as it continues pursuing key figures linked to the seized consignments.
