The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has stated that its ongoing enforcement operations at the Idumota open drug market in Lagos State are aimed at eliminating counterfeit and substandard medicines across the country.
Mr Shaba Mohammed, NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, told newsmen during an enforcement exercise on Tuesday that the market was sealed on Sunday.
He said it was sealed alongside the Ariaria drug market in Aba and the Onitsha drug market in Anambra.
Mohammed said the week-long enforcement exercise was being held simultaneously in the three markets, which are the hub of distributions of over 80 per cent of medication in the country.
Mohammed said the operation was carried out to checkmate the activities of traders who sold counterfeit, substandard, expired, and rebranded drugs that are harmful to the health and well-being of Nigerians.
He said over 5,000 shops in the various markets, which included warehouses and packing stores, would be inspected in the ongoing operations to identify substandard medical products.
He said, ”Today’s operation is about substandard medical products in the Nigerian market.
“On Sunday night, we sealed the three major open drug markets in the country—Idumota drug market, Onitsha drug market, and Ariaria drug market in Aba.
“We have all the securities—Military Police, Secret Service, and Pharmacy Council of Nigeria—along with NAFDAC staff working in these markets.
“Before now, we were involved in so many investigations, and we went to all these markets to seize products, but what we are doing this week is ensuring that we remove virtually all counterfeit products from these markets,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that shop owners were seen on ground complying with the directives of NAFDAC officials who took turns to inspect their shops.
Fully armed security personnel were also on the ground at the open drug market in Idumota to ensure a seamless exercise for officials of NAFDAC.
Seven fully loaded trucks of suspected falsified drugs, expired drugs, drugs with human parts pictures, and others were confiscated.
