As the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) intensifies its clampdown on fake and substandard medicines, sealing over 11,000 shops and arresting 40 individuals, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the agency, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Customs Service to purge their ranks of corrupt officers who facilitate the importation of illicit drugs and food products into the country.
HURIWA emphasized that under the second schedule, legislative powers, part 1, Exclusive Legislative List, Article 21 assigns drug regulation to the federal government.
The association insists that federal officials complicit in the importation of substandard drugs must be identified, investigated, prosecuted, and subjected to stringent penalties.
The group advocates for life imprisonment without parole for law enforcement agents who collude with drug importers, as well as for manufacturers of fake medicines.
Additionally, HURIWA has urged NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, to heighten her personal security, including close scrutiny of her food and drinks.
The association cited the past assassination attempts on former NAFDAC DG, Prof. Dora Akunyili, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death and her husband’s murder in Onitsha, where she led an aggressive campaign against counterfeit drugs.
Speaking on the issue, HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, commended NAFDAC’s operations against fake drugs but warned that the agency’s efforts may become an “annual ritual” unless the leadership of NAFDAC, Nigeria Police Force, and Customs take decisive action to identify and prosecute corrupt officers at Nigeria’s seaports and airports who enable the influx of fake pharmaceuticals, mainly from India and China.
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HURIWA recalled that NAFDAC DG Prof. Adeyeye had stated: “We have closed over 4,000 shops in Onitsha, 3,027 shops in Lagos, and 4,000 shops in Aba since we commenced these operations.”
She further explained that these enforcement actions—conducted in three major drug distribution hubs—are crucial in eliminating falsified and unregistered medications from circulation. NAFDAC planned the operations for over a year, carrying out covert investigations before striking.
On February 10, NAFDAC commenced raids at the Idumota open drug market in Lagos, the Ariaria drug market in Aba, and Bridge Market in Onitsha.
The agency successfully evacuated over 20 trucks of substandard drugs in Aba, 30 trucks in Onitsha, and 27 trucks in Idumota. The next phase of enforcement, according to Adeyeye, will involve inspecting individual shops to identify unregistered vendors.
HURIWA expressed disappointment that corrupt regulators in NAFDAC, the Nigeria Police Force, and Customs—who are supposed to prevent the importation of fake drugs—remain unpunished. The group likened this to being “penny wise, pound foolish,” as the destruction of confiscated drugs is futile if more counterfeit products continue entering the country due to systemic corruption.
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“The federal government must task these regulatory bodies with identifying and investigating high-ranking officers stationed at seaports and airports,” Onwubiko stated. “Aside from economic sabotage, fake medications contribute to the alarming rise in kidney failures and other health crises in Nigeria.”
HURIWA referenced Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, who recently raised concerns about the prevalence of counterfeit drugs in Onitsha’s Ọgbọ Ogwu market. Soludo questioned how these banned substances evade federal scrutiny and enter Nigerian markets.
During a visit to the market, Soludo described the situation as “shocking and disturbing,” revealing that cartons of globally banned counterfeit drugs were discovered not only in the drug market but also in the adjacent Plumbing Materials Market.
“With drugs and related matters strictly on the exclusive list, my visit today was interventionist,” Soludo stated.
HURIWA reiterated that the massive seizures made by NAFDAC reaffirm the urgent need for a radical internal cleansing within NAFDAC, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Customs Service. These agencies, mandated by the constitution to curb the inflow of counterfeit drugs and products, must eliminate corrupt officials enabling this criminal enterprise.