The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized massive quantities of fake, substandard, and banned drugs worth billions of naira in a major enforcement operation at the Onitsha Bridgehead Drug Market.
The agency made this known on Saturday through a post on their X page.
During the raid, officials discovered unregistered narcotics, including banned tramadol, cleverly hidden inside plumbing material shops.
This discovery was based on intelligence reports, leading NAFDAC to extend its search beyond the drug sections of the market.
Meanwhile, traders in the market accused the agency of unfairly targeting non-drug sections, but the operation proved otherwise, revealing the scale of illegal drug trade disguised in unexpected locations
NAFDAC’s operation aims to put an end to the circulation of these harmful drugs, ensuring the safety of the public and holding those responsible accountable.
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Security was a major concern for NAFDAC officials, as they recalled a previous attack three years ago when officers were nearly killed during a similar enforcement exercise.
With support from the National Security Adviser (NSA), authorities took extra precautions to prevent violence during the latest raid.
So far, at least ten fully loaded 40-foot trucks carrying counterfeit and expired medications have been removed from the market. Some of these drugs falsely carried NAFDAC approval, while others had been repackaged and rebranded with fake expiry dates to deceive consumers.
The agency noted that Onitsha Bridgehead Drug Market has long been identified as a distribution center for fake and adulterated medicines.
