By: Adeosun Ewatomi
The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that more than 11,000 stores have been shut down and 40 individuals apprehended during its current nationwide crackdown on fake and substandard medications.The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, shared this information with reporters in Lagos on Friday. She mentioned that the enforcement had been strategized for more than a year, involving covert operations.
On February 10, NAFDAC began its enforcement operations at the Idumota open drug market, the Ariaria drug market in Aba, and the Bridge market in Onitsha.
The agency stated that the enforcement actions in the three markets, which account for more than 80 percent of the distribution of medications, will eliminate counterfeit and unregistered drugs from the country.
Adeyeye reported that more than 20 trucks carrying substandard medications were removed from various locations in Aba. Additionally, no fewer than 30 trucks of seized drugs were confiscated in Onitsha, and 27 trucks were cleared from the Idumota market.
She said, “We are winding down our operations at Aba because we have almost finished with evacuation.
“Our next phase is to start going shop by shop to know those who have registered and those who have not registered.
“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 done 20 per cent of our jobs. We have to do holistic work because we have some traders who are genuine, but they are not registered under the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN).
“Three years ago, some of our men were almost killed while trying to carry out a major operation like this in Onitsha.
Our enforcement teams in these three locations were able to carry out their duties without any fear.
“NSA gave us 400 officers in Onitsha, 350 in Aba and over 250 officers in Lagos to ensure safety for our officers”, the NAFDAC boss said.