The leadership of Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market, Onitsha Bridgehead, Anambra State, on Wednesday, handed over fake drugs and unwholesome products worth over N265 million to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control for confiscation.
Some of the items, which include unwholesome, expired, banned and substandard products, were handed over to NAFDAC at the market warehouse under the supervision of the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the market, Chukwuleta Ndubuisi.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the handing over, Ndubuisi said some of the goods were seized in 2024 while others were confiscated after NAFDAC’s three-month raid of the market between January and March, 2025.
Ndubuisi vowed that the enforcement against fake, expired drugs and unwholesome products in the market will be a continuous exercise, aimed at ensuring that all forms of fake and unwholesome drugs and products are eradicated in the market.
He said, “We are here to hand over the seized fake products to NAFDAC. They include unwholesome, expired, banned, fake and substandard products. They are approximately N265million worth of goods. Some of the goods were seized last year, while others were seized earlier this year after NAFDAC raided the market.
“We carry out this activity periodically. This is not the first time. Even before I assumed office. It started right from the time of late Dora Akunyili as NAFDAC DG.
“We cannot afford to allow dealers sell products that will kill our people, which is in line with NAFDAC policies. We place our task force at strategic points to monitor counterfeit drug dealers.
“This exercise has led to the reduction of counterfeit drugs peddling in the market. The majority of the seized drugs were being smuggled in from outside the market.”
He said while NAFDAC is doing its best, there is a need for stiffer measures to address this menace.
“Those behind the fake drugs have been threatening my life and fighting executive members of the market, with all efforts to remove us so they can have their way.
“The fake drug dealers have repeatedly gone to the media, labelling us all sorts of names. But that won’t lead us to compromise our work. We can’t stop until the government says our tenure is up.
“I advise fake drug peddlers to desist and engage in genuine business. I have never seen anyone doing legitimate business that retrogresses.
“On the contrary, it is those peddling fake drugs that fizzle out easily, thereby cutting their destiny short. Crime doesn’t pay, and there’s no shortcut in life. If you start small, you will make it.
“Moreover, you might not know who will take the fake drugs you are dealing in. It may be your relations,” he added.
In his reaction shortly after receiving the items, the state Coordinator, NAFDAC, Louis Madubuattah, confirmed that over 400 cartons of different kinds of pharmaceutical products, mostly expired and unregistered products, were received by the agency.
He said the products would be kept in the agency’s warehouse pending the time for destruction.
“This is a normal practice. When pharmaceutical companies have their products expire, the law requires them to hand them over to NAFDAC for destruction.
“On our own, we have been sensitising the people on the need to ensure expired products are not revalidated and pushed into the system.
“We are glad the market leadership has set up a mechanism in place to mop up unwholesome products. It is impressive that they are handing over these products themselves,” Madubuattah added.
PUNCH Online in February reported that the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control raided the popular drug market at Bridge Head, Onitsha, Anambra State, confiscating large quantities of suspected substandard, adulterated, and expired drugs.
The operation, led by the Director of NAFDAC South-East Zone, Dr Martins Iluyomade, took traders by surprise as officials moved from shop to shop, seizing a wide range of pharmaceutical products.
