N430M WORTH OF BANNED, EXPIRED DRUGS SET FOR DESTRUCTION IN ANAMBRA
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The leadership of the Ogbo Ogwu Medicine Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, has handed over counterfeit, expired and other substandard drugs worth over N430 million to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for destruction as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate illicit pharmaceutical products from the market.
The drugs were transferred to the agency on Monday after being confiscated by the market’s task force during enforcement operations conducted between December 2025 and June 2026. Some of the expired medicines were also voluntarily submitted by traders for safe disposal.
Speaking during the handover, Chairman of the market’s Caretaker Committee, Chukwuleta Ndubisi, said the leadership remained resolute in its campaign to sanitise the market despite opposition from individuals benefiting from the illegal drug trade.
He explained that the confiscated items included banned, fake, expired and other unsafe pharmaceutical products intercepted during routine inspections or seized while being smuggled into the market.
Ndubisi said the market’s enforcement team regularly monitors activities within the market to identify and remove prohibited drugs, stressing that products banned by regulatory authorities would not be allowed on sale.
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According to him, the growing number of traders voluntarily surrendering expired drugs for destruction reflects increasing compliance with regulatory standards within the market.
He, however, alleged that a cartel involved in the illicit drug business had continued to resist the clean-up exercise through threats, misinformation and attempts to undermine the market leadership.
Ndubisi disclosed that members of the Caretaker Committee had received threats over the crackdown but maintained that the effort to eradicate fake and unsafe medicines would continue unabated.
Receiving the seized products, NAFDAC’s Deputy Director of Investigation and Enforcement for the South-East and South-South zones, Omoyeni Tunji, praised the market leadership for its cooperation and commitment to the agency’s regulatory objectives.
Tunji said the consignment included drugs confiscated by the market task force as well as expired products voluntarily surrendered by traders. He revealed that about 400 cartons of unwholesome medicines were handed over and would be included in a larger batch scheduled for destruction in Awka, Anambra State.
He further disclosed that more than 192 pharmaceutical products remain prohibited in Nigerian markets and reaffirmed NAFDAC’s determination to work closely with market authorities to prevent banned medicines from re-entering circulation.
Tunji also reiterated NAFDAC’s recognition of the current Caretaker Committee led by Ndubisi as the legitimate leadership of the market, noting that the agency carries out its operations in collaboration with the committee and the market task force to ensure smooth enforcement activities.
While acknowledging reports of internal disagreements within the market, he said NAFDAC was engaging relevant stakeholders to promote peace and stability while sustaining efforts to eliminate counterfeit and substandard drugs from the pharmaceutical market.
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