The leadership of Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market, Onitsha Bridgehead, Anambra State has handed over fake drugs and unwholesome products worth over N265 million to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control for confiscation.
Some of the items, which include unwholesome, expired, banned and substandard products, were handed over to NAFDAC at the market warehouse under the supervision of the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the market, Chukwuleta Ndubuisi.
Speaking to journalists, Ndubuisi said some of the goods were seized in 2024 while others were confiscated after NAFDAC’s three-month raid of the market between January and March, 2025.
Ndubuisi vowed that the enforcement against fake, expired drugs and unwholesome products in the market will be a continuous exercise, aimed at ensuring that all forms of fake and unwholesome drugs and products are eradicated in the market.
He said, “We are here to hand over the seized fake products to NAFDAC. They include unwholesome, expired, banned, fake and substandard products. They are approximately N265million worth of goods. Some of the goods were seized last year, while others were seized earlier this year after NAFDAC raided the market.
“We carry out this activity periodically. This is not the first time. Even before I assumed office. It started right from the time of late Dora Akunyili as NAFDAC DG.
“We cannot afford to allow dealers sell products that will kill our people, which is in line with NAFDAC policies. We place our task force at strategic points to monitor counterfeit drug dealers.
He said while NAFDAC is doing its best, there is a need for stiffer measures to address this menace.
In his reaction shortly after receiving the items, the state Coordinator, NAFDAC, Louis Madubuattah, confirmed that over 400 cartons of different kinds of pharmaceutical products, mostly expired and unregistered products, were received by the agency.
He said the products would be kept in the agency’s warehouse pending the time for destruction.
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