The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) conducted a surprise raid on the “Ogbo Ogu Market,” also known as the “Head-bridge Drug Market,” in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Martins Iluyomade, the South-East Zonal Director of NAFDAC, led the operation. The raid, which began at 4 am on Monday, involved a team of NAFDAC officials and heavily armed security personnel.
Uncovering the Deception
Officials stormed numerous shops and warehouses within the market simultaneously. They discovered fake, substandard and expired drugs concealed in cartons.
A more alarming discovery was empty drug containers and packets. These containers bore the names and addresses of legitimate local and foreign manufacturers, along with printed NAFDAC registration numbers.
The team also found fake drugs, allegedly produced by some traders, ready for packaging in these counterfeit containers. These traders often had Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) registration.
Iluyomade said the agency was deeply concerned about the nature of the counterfeit drugs. He told reporters, “Most of the fake drugs being produced in the market were very sensitive medicine that the people need. Some of the drugs are foreign manufactured drugs, and, are very expensive because of the Dollars exchange to Naira.”
Warning to the Public
He explained that the counterfeiters would fill these containers with fake products. “You can’t guarantee what would be put in these containers and packets. This is why people are dying because the medicine they are buying is fake, some are substandard and expired,” he lamented.
The NAFDAC raid was part of a coordinated effort across major drug markets in the South-East zone. Iluyomade described it as a national assignment, planned meticulously for several months. He explained that past raids involved market leaders. This time, NAFDAC chose a different approach. They aimed to protect the leaders from potential retaliation by other traders.
Iluyomade acknowledged the scale of the operation. “The enormity of the work is huge. I can’t say now how long it will take us to conclude, but, even if it will take us one year, we will continue because we want to sanitise this market of fake drugs to save the lives of Nigerians. NAFDAC has said it before, ‘Shine your eyes when you are buying medicines, but, now it shines the whole of your body.”
He assured that all those involved would face legal consequences.
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