The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed counterfeit, expired, and substandard pharmaceuticals such as alcohol, cosmetics, others valued at N4.7 billion across Nigeria’s South-South region, the agency announced on Friday.
The destruction exercise, conducted at a waste disposal site in Port Harcourt, underscores the agency’s intensified efforts to rid the market of dangerous medical products and unwholesome consumer goods.
The agency’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented at the event by Chukwuma Oligbu, NAFDAC’s South-South zonal director, said the confiscated items were seized from Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.
“After a properly coordinated surveillance, the warehouses were raided and products confiscated.
‘’Also, through this operation, a warehouse of unregistered cosmetics products was raided and products worth several millions of naira were confiscated.
“Seized unregistered imported vegetable oil without Vitamin A fortification and assorted unregistered cosmetics products from Delta state were also among the products destroyed,” Adeyeye said.
Among the destroyed items were falsified medical products, expired drugs, substandard food additives, and unregistered cosmetics. Some of these products had been voluntarily surrendered by manufacturers and distributors, while others were seized through coordinated enforcement actions.
NAFDAC’s investigations led to the discovery of several illicit warehouses in Port Harcourt, where expired alcoholic beverages were being fraudulently re-labelled and reintroduced into the market.
The agency also uncovered a large cache of unregistered cosmetics and imported vegetable oil that lacked required vitamin A fortification, a key food safety standard in Nigeria.
What to know
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) contributed significantly to the operation by handing over two 40-foot shipping containers filled with unregistered and substandard pharmaceuticals intercepted in Edo State.
Authorities from multiple enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Security, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, collaborated in the operation.
The Rivers State Waste Management Agency and local fire services also assisted in the destruction process.
Adeyeye emphasized the public health risks posed by counterfeit drugs and unwholesome products, warning that their circulation could lead to treatment failures, drug resistance, prolonged illnesses, and even fatalities.
She urged consumers to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities related to the distribution of unregulated medical and consumer products.
Dignitaries at the event included senior officials from Nigeria’s drug enforcement and customs agencies, representatives from pharmacists’ associations, and local trade unions.
NAFDAC reiterated its commitment to ensuring that only safe and high-quality medical and consumer products reach the Nigerian market.
The agency warned that violators would face strict enforcement measures as part of its ongoing crackdown on counterfeit goods.
