The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Monday, February 10, 2025, raided EKUMI Drug Market in the Ariaria area of Aba, Abia State, where it discovered methamphetamine (Mpuru Mmiri), banned and some unregistered medicines in some shops in the market.
Also discovered Monday, which was day-one of the raid, were Analgin injection and Gentamicin 280 mg, which had long been banned by the agency.
This is coming barely 5-months (August 20, 2024) after some patent medicine dealers in the market, under the aegis of EKUMI Plaza Patent Medicine Dealers Association (EPPMDA), claimed to have purged themselves from stocking expired and fake medicines, by voluntarily handing over some counterfeit and expired medicines, estimated to about ₦50million to the food and drugs regulatory agency for destruction.
An action that is in line with the order of the Federal Government, represented by NAFDAC to ensure that expired and unwholesome drugs are removed from the market for the safety of consumers.
However, Monday’s raid, which was also conducted in three different locations in Nigeria, by officials of NAFDAC in conjunction with the Department of State Service (DSS), Police, and Army, however exposed the dealers, as most shops searched still stock banned, fake and expired drugs
Omoyeni Babatunji, deputy director, Investigation and Enforcement and Federal Taskforce, South-South/South-East zones, who led the Ariaria team, on the raid, expressed shock at the volume of banned and unregistered drugs discovered in the market.
However, the biggest catch of the raid, happened on February 11, 2025, day-2 of the exercise, where NAFDAC and partnering security agencies, working on credible information, busted a two-storey twin-duplex, located in Umummeje Village, in Umuocheala community, Amaitoli Clan, Osisioma Local Government Area, near Aba, used in warehousing and revalidating fake and expired drugs.
With the village setting surrounded, by suburban environment, it will only take impeccable intelligence that is beyond mere intuition to unravel what goes on in the large compound with big buildings.
However, the facility houses expired drugs and machines used for re-validation and printing of new labels for onward distribution to various distributors of death in various markets in Aba and other parts of Nigeria.
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, a joint team of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) after a thorough investigation stormed the premises and busted what they described, as the biggest fake and expired drugs warehouse in South-East zone of Nigeria.
Martins Iluyomade, a pharmacist and director, NAFDAC, South-East Zone, said that the discovery of two-storey twin-duplex, a Boys Quarter and several bungalows filled to the brim with expired foreign drugs is one he has never seen in all his years of work.
“Honestly, I’m short of words with what I’m seeing here, because I kept seeing more rooms filled with expired drugs. I felt like crying when I saw so many expired anti hypotensives.
“Imagine somebody, who already has hypertension, who was asked to buy expensive foreign drugs, on getting to the market, he pays someone a huge sum of money to buy his death quickly. Honestly, those, who do this are wicked”.
Speaking further, Iluyomade said, “One of the shocking things here is that some of the expired drugs are newly purchased with their new cartons. “We’re seeing an odd and strange system here, where people specialise in dealing with expired products or people, who have expired products, will invite someone notorious in handling such to repackage and give back for public consumption.
“What we’ve seen here are foreign drugs, expensive foreign drugs that one cannot buy anyhow. To be frank with you, we cannot quantify what’s here for now, because the entire building without a space left, is filled with expired drugs.
“To make sense of what we’re saying here, you all saw a machine that is used to revalidate expired products. We saw where labels of expired products are removed and replaced with a similar label produced for revalidation.
“So, to put you through, this place is like a depot for expired foreign drugs. And it also has a mini factory, where the rebranding of expired drugs takes place, through the production of new labels with new expired dates placed on them,”
On the arrest of suspects, Iluyomade said, “an arrest has been made. The police have arrested a few people, but the main suspect, who is the owner of this place, is on the run.
“Even when he was called and told that his family is with the security agents, he surprisingly didn’t care and said they can keep his family.
“The law will surely take its course, because everything you see here now has become a scene of crime. The building, the vehicles and everything here are pieces of evidence at this scene of crime.”
Iluyomade, while explaining the mandate of the operation, said that it was a joint operation carried out by NAFDAC and its sister agencies.
“This operation is a joint operation, by all sister agencies, namely the Police, Army, DSS and people, who are on the background working in synergy with NAFDAC, to make sure that we end this system of fake, falsified and expired products in Nigeria.
Read also: NAFDAC raids Onitsha drug market, seizes fake, expired drugs
“Now, you can see that the present government in its determined vigor, has taken this to a new level to say that Nigeria is no longer a haven for fake, substandard and falsified products. So, it is a coordinated operation from the presidency.”
Iluyomade said that the goal of the operation was to clean everything that has to do with food and drugs, so that Nigerians can feel safe to eat and take medicine.
“We’ve heard cries about treatment failures; we’ve heard cries about fake and substandard products everywhere and I’m sure you’ve even heard some people alleging that NAFDAC has not been working, now we’re all seeing it.
“The cleansing will continue. However, let nobody get our intention wrong. We want to send a message to our people here. We’re not asking anybody not to do genuine business.
“However, because you want to do business, you don’t do business at the detriment of other citizens. There must be a law to follow in whatever business you want to do. Anyone, who does fake business can also do genuine business. This is purely evil.”
Iluyomade said that NAFDAC was currently reviewing its laws to enable more severe punishments for the culprits, who indulge in the selling and distribution of fake and expired products.
In his words, “That’s why I want to say this. Note, I’m saying this on behalf of the management that we’re reviewing our laws to be like what China has.
“My Director General made that clarification some days ago that anybody caught involved in this fake and substandard products system should face death sentence, as a penalty. I’m just re-echoing what the DG said.”
He thanked Governor Alex Otti for his support for the success of the operation, stressing that the team gained adequate cooperation from the Abia State Government.
Some expired drugs and supplements discovered during the raid include a 2021 expired Potassium Chloride Extended-Release Tablets, USP 750MG, which is indicated for the treatment and prophylaxis of hypokalemia with or without metabolic alkalosis, in patients for whom dietary management with potassium-rich foods or diuretic dose reduction is insufficient.
Another one is some cartons of Levorid Tablet, which is used in the treatment of allergic symptoms, such as common cold, allergic rhinitis (running nose), urticaria, insect bite and hives. It is also used to relieve symptoms of allergy, because of dust and pet allergies.
Ocuvite, a medication, which is a multivitamin product used to treat or prevent vitamin deficiency, because of poor diet, certain illnesses, was seen as well being revalidated.
Multiple labels of Nature’s Field L&K Cap (Liver and Kidney Cleanser) that promotes natural cleansing and detoxification of the human body’s vital organs and help to eliminate harmful toxins, and also promotes liver function, bladder and kidney health (Liver & kidney detox) was equally found.
The team equally discovered multiple cartons of 2021 expired Zarbee’s Elderberry (42cl) Daily Immune Support, which originally contain an excellent source of vitamins A, C, D3, E and zinc, which are said to be powerful ingredients that have been clinically studied for their role in supporting the immune system.
Also found were multiple Fenofibrate (also known as fenofibric acid), which is used as an add-on medication to diet to treat high triglycerides and high cholesterol.
Expired large number of NMN Resveratrol capsule Supplement, which the manufacturers on the information available said promotes metabolism and energy levels, repairs damaged DNA, boost energy, physical performance and cognition and supports healthy ageing for improved sleep quality of life.
Other products discovered include Tetracyclines HCI Capsules, USP 250MG used to treat infections and to help control acne; Triple Omega, a mixed formula of fish, flaxseed, and evening primrose oil, that provides the three main types of fatty acids used by the body (Omegas 3-6-9).
Another product that was found in that premises is Glutathione 500mg, which is said to be used for Liver Disease, Lung Health, Kidney Health, Heart Health, Support Cancer Health and Skin Lightening. Also found were newly printed labels of the SKG Primpex DS (Co-trimoxazole 960mg).
English (US) ·