The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the discovery of prohibited drugs hidden inside plumbing materials shops at Bridgehead Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
NAFDAC disclosed this on Saturday, noting that the market, comprising multiple buildings and shops, operates as a hub for repackaging and revalidating expired medicines under false claims, before selling to unsuspecting consumers.
“Officials seized two trailer loads of unregistered narcotics, banned tramadol, and counterfeit drugs concealed within these shops.
“Traders in the market have accused NAFDAC of targeting non-drug sections during the operation. However, intelligence led the agency to search these areas, revealing large quantities of illicit pharmaceuticals.
“Heightened security measures were necessary due to a past incident three years ago when NAFDAC officials and police officers were attacked and narrowly escaped death while conducting a similar raid,” the regulatory body said.
The agency acknowledged the support of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, stating that the progress made in the operation would not have been possible without him.
“The ongoing exercise has so far led to the discovery of illicit drugs worth billions of naira,” it said.
NAFDAC also revealed that it has removed at least 10 fully loaded 40-foot trucks of fake, substandard, and adulterated drugs from the market since its enforcement operation started over a week ago, with some of the perpetrators falsely claiming its approval.
