The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a major operation depot dealing in expired and falsified drugs at Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa, Abia State.
In a statement on its X handle on Friday, NAFDAC revealed that the illegal operation was being run from multiple buildings near the Ariaria International Market.
The agency stated that expired medicines were repackaged and revalidated for resale, posing a significant health risk to consumers.
Seizure of expired medicines and counterfeiting equipment
During the raid, officials confiscated large quantities of expired potassium chloride, allergy medications, immune boosters, and cholesterol treatments.
Machinery used to alter expiry dates and rebrand drugs was also discovered, indicating a sophisticated counterfeiting operation.
While some individuals were arrested during the raid, NAFDAC confirmed that the prime suspect remains on the run. The agency noted that despite attempts to contact him, he showed no concern for his detained family members.
Federal Government’s crackdown on counterfeit drugs
The operation was conducted in collaboration with security agencies as part of the federal government’s crackdown on counterfeit medicines.
NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating substandard and falsified drugs in Nigeria, adding that it is currently reviewing its laws to impose stricter penalties on offenders.
More Insights
NAFDAC’s ongoing crackdown on fake and substandard medicines recently led to the sealing of the Idumota open drug market in Lagos, along with the Ariaria drug market in Aba and the Onitsha drug market in Anambra.
The agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr. Shaba Mohammed, stated that the week-long enforcement exercise is happening simultaneously across the three markets, which serve as distribution hubs for over 80% of medications in Nigeria.
- He explained that the operation aims to tackle traders dealing in counterfeit, substandard, expired, and rebranded drugs that endanger public health.
- As part of the exercise, over 5,000 shops, including warehouses and packaging stores, will be inspected to identify and remove substandard medical products.
- During the operation, NAFDAC confiscated seven truckloads of suspected falsified drugs, expired medicines, and drugs labeled with images of human parts.
- Additionally, on February 7th, the agency announced the destruction of counterfeit, expired, and substandard pharmaceuticals—including alcohol, cosmetics, and other consumer goods—worth N4.7 billion across Nigeria’s South-South region.
- The destruction exercise, conducted at a waste disposal site in Port Harcourt, highlights NAFDAC’s commitment to eliminating dangerous medical products and unwholesome consumer goods from the market.
- Among the destroyed items were falsified medical products, expired drugs, substandard food additives, and unregistered cosmetics. Some of these products were voluntarily surrendered by manufacturers and distributors, while others were seized through coordinated enforcement actions.
NAFDAC’s investigations also uncovered several illicit warehouses in Port Harcourt, where expired alcoholic beverages were being fraudulently re-labelled and reintroduced into the market.
Watch the video here:
NAFDAC Uncovers Massive Depot for Expired Drugs in Aba
NAFDAC has uncovered a large-scale operation dealing in expired and falsified drugs at Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa, Abia State. pic.twitter.com/oIAZIfKF6G
— NAFDAC NIGERIA (@NafdacAgency) February 14, 2025
